Author's Notes!
Chapter Eight! DIE WRITERS BLOCK DIE! What? A coffee shop makes a great muse? OMG...I STARTED WRITING AGAIN! I'm currently writing chapter 12, I murdered my Writer's block. See I hate to upload a chapter when I'm blocked, even if the chapter is ready to go. Why? Because I don't want to catch up with myself. That way, if I'm working on chap 12, and something in chap 10 needs to be changed so the story is consistent, I can go back and fix it. Wonderful, huh? Well, I'm writing again. That's the important thing.
Things slow down a little in this chapter...It's sort of little mini-stories that contribute to the main plot.
Warnings: swearing (duh) Gay temporary original characters (literally?)
Chapter 8 – What's this life for?
"So, my dear granddaughter returns to me, fairly unharmed I trust?"
Izumi nodded in reply to the small old woman before her. She had offered to drive Winrey back home due to the girl's still depressed condition. Granny Pinako Rockbell stood a touch shorter than Edward in height. She wore her hair in a bun at the back of her head and presently puffed on a long pipe. Still for her average and harmless appearance, she had very much the same presence as Izumi herself did. She stood eying Izumi and her own granddaughter with the same even stare she seemed to give everything.
"I'm really sorry grandma." Winrey said softly, not looking up far enough to meet her grandmother's gaze. Pinako sighed slowly, smoke pouring from her mouth as she did so. "It's a really long story...but-"
"Don't worry, Izumi has informed me of absolutely everything." Pinako interjected. Winrey winced. The older woman turned her gaze to Izumi now. "Nice to finally see you again. Where has my old drinking buddy been all this year long?" She asked, fixing Izumi with a wry smile.
"Very, very busy. Running heard on Envy, his brother and the Elric boys has been taking up most of my time lately." Izumi replied. Winrey said nothing, but stood with her hands clasped in from of her.
"Well, come inside and have some tea...we need to talk anyway. Winrey?" Pinako said, sounding a little tired.
"Yes grandma?" Winrey replied.
"Don't pressure yourself to feel punished...this whole experience happened for a reason and the things that happened are far more than enough punishment for disappearing for a night. Next time you feel like going after a murderer though,"
"Don't?" Winrey interrupted, trying to predict her Grandmother's words.
"No." Pinako laughed. "take a gun." She said simply.
--
"She going to be alright?" Izumi said quietly as Pinako clicked on the lights for the kitchen. She motioned towards the living room where Winrey sat, staring at a blank television screen as if there were a program on.
"She will be fine. If anything this is the wake-up call she needed." Pinako sighed as she put a kettle on and hoisted herself onto a kitchen chair. Izumi joined her at the table, placing her head in one graceful but strong hand. "She's been on a strange tangent for some time now...she can't seem to think outside of her own social box that she has created. First it was Garfiel, then N.V...Envy I guess it's pronounced now? That boy was like the sister she never had...They were inseparable. I remember having to chase N.V. off with a soup ladle to get him to go home after he had spent the night four or five days in a row." The old woman laughed, lighting up another pipe.
"So he's always been a handful then? That's good, I was beginning to think that I only came in on the start of his ornery stage." Izumi laughed. The tea kettle boiled and Pinako fixed them both a cup before settling back down.
"Always. Those Elric boys haven't ever been a picnic in the park either, but I've done what I can for them...their pretty tough in their own right, if not a little stubborn. Well, at least Edward, Alphonse is nearly his mother already. I'm really sad to hear about everything that happened last night. That's too much for children to have to deal with."
"Yes, but if any of them can those boys will. And that girl friend of Winrey's...what's her name, Sheska?" Izumi said, chuckling a little. "Good tea, by the way...your own blend?"
"Yes, it is, thank you. I know Sheska, she has been spending a lot of time over here lately. Quite honestly I think she is good for Winrey. Balancing her out a little, giving her a dose of reality."
"It's too bad, I think they all had a little too much reality."
"So where are they all, anyway, do you think it's okay for them to be alone right now?" Pinako took a long sip of her tea, before deciding it wasn't sweet enough and adding another package of sugar.
"Edward and Alphonse are helping Envy salvage what's left of he and Wrath's old apartment. They are all going to move in together at the Elric's house for a while. Ed and Al are going to share a room like they used to when their dad was there, and Envy and Wrath are going to take the other room. Envy's older cousin and his girlfriend are watching over Wrath until the boys get back." Izumi explained.
"How is the little brother coping?" the older woman asked. She didn't seem concerned with the strange nature of the boy's names or any of the mystery surrounding the serial killer that had just been after them. Time seemed to have jaded the woman to all strangeness or shock and she simply took everything in her stride.
"He's doing surprisingly well. He's still young, he springs back easily, though I think the effects will show more in his ability to cope socially in later years...Envy and I are going to have to work together to help him through that. I'm actually more concerned with how this is going to effect Envy. He hasn't ever killed anyone before this. His first time, it could scar him for quite some time. I know it did me." Izumi took a long deep breath and rubbed her forehead.
"I know, Izumi. I know. It's hard to watch someone else go through atrocities you have seen for yourself." The elder Rockbell placed her small hand over Izumi's other one, patting it slightly.
"Does she know? Winrey, does she know about her parents? About..."
"No. She was never told that the incident was gang-related. She believes they were shot in a random drive-by. When they were comatose, she became very devoutly religious. I think that was about the time she started purging everything in her life that could be considered sin. A rough way to go about it that left her with no friends when her parents finally passed away. She seemed to think if she believed hard enough she could pretend she was someone else, someone who could bring her parents back to life through perfection. After they died well...I think she found some negative ways of coping. She only talks to me so much." Pinako explained.
"I see. The effect cascaded. In any case...I should head back so that Greed and Martel can make it back to Texas before nightfall." Izumi stood, finishing off her tea and rinsing her cup.
"Too bad you can't stay. You and me should really go to a bar some time, for old times sake." Pinako replied with a wink.
"I'd like that very much. If I can ever leave these children alone for five minutes consider it a set date." Izumi laughed.
--
After the goodbyes had been said, Pinako returned to the living room. Winrey was still sitting silently staring into space. She had changed into a pair of white pants and a black tank top and had her knees pulled up to her chin. Occasionally a tear would roll down her face to join the small wet spot she was making on her knee. She paused and sniffed, wiping her face on the back of her hand. Pinako sighed and sat in the chair by the arm of the couch.
"What's bothering you now my dear?" She asked slowly, waiting patiently as Winrey tried to stop crying.
"I...I'm so very confused Grandma. I haven't got any idea what to think of pretty much anything. Everything I thought was right was proven wrong and now seems right again. I don't know what's the truth and what's lies. I have heard a thousand things that all conflict with each other...I'm just...so confused..." the girl said, finally wailing by the end of her sentence. She gasped and whimpered as more tears came unbidden. Pinako looked down for a moment before turning towards her granddaughter.
"Welcome to the world of making your own choices, Winrey. You can't follow the rights and wrongs of others forever, or else you become a sheep in a heard of sheep. You have to trust your own heart, no matter how confused it may feel. What you thought was wrong may not be so wrong. What you thought was acceptable may not really be okay. Try living that way for a while."
"But what if it does no good? I really...want Envy to forgive me, but if I tell him I'm...If I tell him what I told you the other night, he will think I am the biggest hypocrite..."
"Give him time...he will find out sooner or later. Just wait for his forgiveness, you will be surprised."
"Can I even think of him as a good person? Granny, he killed someone..."
"He killed someone who was trying to kill him, and his family. Defending what you love is rarely a sin."
Winrey said nothing in reply, but nodded slowly. She had a lot of thinking to do.
--
--
A few days later, in the schoolyard of California's most populated school...
--
"Fucking...cold." Was all Envy could manage through a deep shiver. He was curled double, knees at his chest and arms wrapped tightly around himself. His back was pressed against the gym building as he tried to conserve as much warmth as he could in the uniform short-sleeve tee shirt and gym pants he wore. He bit his lip as another shiver leapt through his spine. "D..d.damnit..." He stammered as his bottom jaw chattered of his own accord. "S..st..tup..pp p p id f.f.f.fucking c.cc...coach..."
"Hm..?" a female voice sounded only slightly startled next to him as the door opened from the girl's locker rooms. Envy glanced out of the corner of his eyes to see who it was staring at him now. "Aren't you Envy?" The girl asked. Her voice was stern but not cruel. She was a fairly pretty girl, if not a little fierce looking. She wore blond hair up in a clip and had on the school uniform for outdoor activities. Classic gray hooded jacket, sweatpants and tennis shoes. She looked terribly familiar but for all his distraction Envy couldn't quite place it. In her hand she held a compound bow, in the other a box of arrows and a small fold-up target. Archery club? Who did he know that was a marksman...Finally it clicked.
"R...Riza right?" He stammered, swearing inwardly. He must look pretty weak right now, curled up and shaking like a junkie.
"Why are you out here? It's freezing, and without a jacket?" She asked, ignoring the glare Envy was trying to send her. She wasn't to be scared off, that was sure, even though the rumor of Envy's activities with the serial killer and the hotel had been spread like wildfire over the school. It seemed now that everyone had a different story to tell, each more incredible and frightening than the last. Envy was once again the one to be feared. He opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out was a stifled chatter. He stared straight ahead instead, refusing to answer if all he could do was stutter.
"Would you be willing to wear a girl's jacket? I don't wear it when I'm shooting anyway." Riza said, already removing her jacket to drape it around Envy's shaking shoulders. With a slightly confused glance he nodded his thanks and shoved his arms into the sleeves of the jacket and wrapped them around himself once more. Riza leaned against the wall and waited for the boy to warm a little. After several minutes she turned to him again.
"So...gonna tell me how you ended up staying out here shivering in the cold?" She said, her tone unreadable.
"Coach. I came to P.E. for once, but I was wearing my own jacket since I haven't ever been able to buy a school standard one. Up until now I haven't needed one. My jacket is a green knit one with a pink stripe. Coach said it was unacceptable and took it from me. It was okay while I was running and exercising with the others but once class was over and I had to sit out here and wait I got really cold." He explained, feeling warmth seeping back into his limbs.
"What? Why didn't you go shower with the others?" Riza asked, sounding a little surprised now. Envy laughed sarcastically.
"I haven't been allowed to shower with the boys since middle school. Coach doesn't like me at all, and since I would be 'looking' it's not fair to the other boys to let me in there when their all naked. Not like any of them are worth looking at." He relaxed a little, warming up now. He could see his breath as he spoke in little puffs.
"That's not fair in the least. Why haven't you gone to the school board about it?" Riza asked. She started to string her bow and inspect her arrows.
"Like they care. Besides, until now I always skipped on what few cold days there were. This weather is just strange." He said, nodding towards the track before them.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Keep the jacket. He can't harass you about it, the dress code doesn't define what gender jackets you can wear. I know, I have an older cousin who wore the boy's jacket all through high school here. And if the coach wants to hassle you about it he can take it before the board and you can tell them your side of it or you can exchange P.E. with an athletic club like I did." She said, giving him a small smile before walking out into the center of the track circle to set up her target. Envy stood and followed her slowly, glancing back to see if the boys from his homeroom had come out of the showers yet so he could go in. Riza started her stretches to warm up her muscles.
"I see. Where's the rest of the Archery club?" He asked nonchalantly as he climbed up onto one of the pieces of equipment opposite from the make-shift shooting range. Riza grabbed an arrow and drew her bow.
"Probably skipping because of the cold."
"What about you?"
"I can't let myself get rusty." She let the arrow fly. It whizzed through the chilly air and struck the target almost dead center. Envy shivered, but this time not from the cold. There was an intensity in Riza's eyes...it was almost unnerving. A murmuring echoed from the other side of the gymnasium, signaling that the sophomore boys had finished in the showers and were heading back towards the school for free period. Envy leapt down from his seat, flinching as another arrow struck it's target almost exactly where intended.
"Thanks...um...are you sure I can keep this? I don't want to take your jacket..." He said. Riza shook her head.
"It's okay. I'm getting Archery club ones made, and those will be standard. I don't wear a jacket at practice anyway because it messes up my shot." She said, dismissing it with a wave of her hand.
"Well...thanks." Envy said a little awkwardly, turning away from her and heading for the showers.
--
The bell rang, signaling the end of the last period. Students poured out of their final classes, their moods reasonably lightened since the final bell meant the last of classes until after the new year. Several groups of teens gathered together and were already proclaiming loudly their Christmas break plans. Envy filed in, several paces behind the majority of the student body. He walked at a leisurely pace, allowing almost all the students from his floor to overtake him. Somewhere ahead of him two other teens waited by their classroom door.
"Hey Envy." Ed said as the black-haired boy stopped short of the Elrics where they stood. Envy nodded his hello, smiling a little. He was dressed today in black jeans with several large tears and holes in them and a skin fitting black shirt with an amazing number of silver and black accessories. His jewelry had made it through the disaster fairly well. In fact, most of what was destroyed was their furniture. He and Wrath had moved into the Elric's downstairs bedroom, bringing everything that survived with them in just a couple of boxes. Envy still wasn't sure if it was alright to mooch off of them like that, but several hours of convincing had swayed his opinion enough to make him actually move them in for the time being. Greed and Martel had spend the last two days staying with them as well, making the household quite cramped, but not unpleasantly so. In fact, Alphonse seemed to be enjoying the company.
The three began walking together down the mostly empty hallways.
"I need to go to my locker in the J building..." Envy said. The brother's nodded together and they set off across the lawn.
"So what do you guys want to do for Christmas? I was thinking we could decorate the house, Wrath might like that right?" Al said, smiling broadly. Ed however dropped his gaze to the ground. "Sorry brother...I know it still bothers you a little..."
"So, Christmas was your Mom's thing? Our mother loved to decorate, too." Envy added.
"It's settled then. Edward, quit being a stick in the mud. Mom wouldn't be happy if she knew we were still sulking about it at the holidays, especially with house guests!" Alphonse said finally, giving his brother a prod in the shoulder. Ed sighed.
"I guess your right, Al...We could get the old decorations down from the attic...and that fake tree you begged dad to get! Can you believe it? As soon as Al realized that cutting down a tree meant killing it, he started crying until out Father promised to buy a fake one instead." Ed chuckled. Envy noted how only Al could really get away with making his stubborn older brother do anything. They entered a hallway lined with a large number of lockers arranged in rows.
"Don't tell embarrassing stories brother." Al halfheartedly scolded. Envy counted the rows until he reached the one he was looking for. Four lockers in he unlocked his with a quiet click and dumped his books inside. Due to the delay they had taken there were only a few students in the locker hall. Envy was suddenly aware of several eyes on his back that didn't belong to his friends. He glanced behind him and a few people sank back behind another row of lockers. He could just make out their faint voices.
"I don't want to ask him! Why do you guys always make me do it! May, this isn't funny..."
"Listen, someone needs to ask him, I'm pretty sure if we have his signature people will take this more seriously, Jo..." That must have been "may"
"But what if he's not actually...you know. I mean, there are too many different kinds of rumors to believe." The girl who had been called "jo" replied.
"God, you two are such femmes. Seriously, it's completely obvious to anyone with half a gaydar." This time the voice was a new one, deep but female.
"I don't blame her Suzu. After everything that's happened..." That was yet another voice. A male one with a slight emphasis on the S sound. He definitely sounded gay. Envy couldn't help but wonder if they were talking about him.
"Your a junior, Rorie. You've seen more of him than us freshman...do you think it's safe?" It was the first girl who spoke now, Jo.
"I trust her judgment though, guys, she does know him personally. So approach him already, Jo. After all, we are all here to back you up if anything happens..." The male, Rorie, replied.
"I'm too scared. I can't do it." Jo said finally.
"Fine. Never send a femme to do a butch's job anyway." It was Suzu who ended it. Envy still stared at the wall he could hear them through, as did Edward and Alphonse having caught the end of the hushed argument. Someone rounded the corner. Envy stood a head taller than her, and she had short black hair cut like a boy's. She wore a gray flannel shirt over a black tee shirt and baggy pants. Her tough demeanor changed quickly when she came within a few feet of Envy, who turned to her with a hand planted firmly on his hip.
"Can I help you?" He asked after several moments of silence.
"I erm...We...at the...um..." The teen stammered. Envy guessed she must be in his year. She actually looked kind of familiar. "The...there is...um.." Another girl stomped around the corner. She had a more feminine appearance than Suzu. Tall with curly brown hair and earth-toned clothes, her expression was annoyed but smug.
"What dear tough-guy Suzu is trying to say is: Hi. My name is May, and we are representing the school LGBQT community club." She explained. 'that's where I remember these girls from. They are lesbians..I had a run in with one of the kids harassing members of their club freshman year.' Envy thought to himself.
"We have a petition going to overturn the ban on same-sex dancing at the upcoming New Years dance." Suzu picked up, having gotten over her initial start. Envy glanced up. A tall male student from Junior year and a small, shy looking girl with a baseball cap on were peering around the corner. He shot them a quick glare, sending them both ducking behind the lockers once more.
"We wanted to know if you would sign it...seeing as how your um...one of the more influential...er...people like...that...and..." May lost her confidence under Envy's violet gaze.
"Influential huh? That's a polite way to put it. You want to use my name to blackmail the teachers? Or is it that you think all the other gays in the school will sign if they see that I did? That's a good one. I'm not a trend setter whatever you may believe." Envy said, a little less than polite. The girls stared at him, at a sort of loss. Edward stepped forward, leaning in to take the clipboard from Suzu's stunned fingers.
"I'll sign." He said, putting his name at the bottom of the list.
"Ed-o, you know what kind of reputation putting your name on there is going to give you, right?" Envy inquired.
"Yeah, I know. Just like I said before, I'm not worried about reputation. What's one signature anyway."
"Here, I'll sign too." Alphonse said, taking the clipboard now.
"You know this thing isn't going to work. The school board doesn't give a damn about student protests." Envy said finally, taking the paper and scrawling his name onto impatiently. "There. You have my support, but like I said, your going to have to do a hell of a lot more than quietly gather signatures. Peaceful protests never get the job done." He said finally, walking away from them with the Elric brothers on his heels.
--
The door labeled "LGBTQ Community Club" Creaked open. Rorie, May, Jo and Suzu filed in.
"You were right...He did sign it. He didn't seem too happy about the protest though." Suzu explained.
"I know, I didn't think he would be. Envy has never been one to do things peacefully."
"Funny, he said the same thing." Rorie said with a soft laugh, moving to sit on a desk. "So what are we going to do?"
"Wait and see I guess...You didn't tell anyone it's me trying to do this though, right?"
"Not at all...Why do you want to keep it a secret though? We really haven't suffered that much persecution..." May said, leaning on Suzu's shoulder and placing a small kiss on the girl's cheek.
"It's nothing like that...I'm just waiting until she's ready...I don't want to mess things up for her or us..."
"Makes sense I guess. Still...I worry about you tryin' so hard girl." Rorie said.
"I'm okay!"
"Whatever you say, Sheska...Whatever you say."
--
Post notes!
Wow! Little things add up to big pieces of the puzzle. Sorry if this chapter seems like a tease, I had to have these things happen in order to have other things happen later.
Riza's an archer I luff it.
The original characters, May, Suzu, Rorie and Jo are not characters that will be a main part of the story .; they aren't love interests and they are not sues for heaven's sake. If anything they are clever plot devices. Funny story, they are all based on gays and lesbians I know in real life...their names are just different. Isn't that awsome? XD Their personalities are the same as those people. Just so you know, Rorie has a boyfriend too...Jo is single. May and Suzu are together if you didn't get that. Kawaii...huggles her friends, and the characters based off them
So, on to next chapter!
Chapter 9 – Ordinary World
Christmas is coming...Happiness is all around. But does Envy really belong in that happiness? He questions himself. A long trip into town bring a few familiar faces around.
"Envy? Envy wait...I need to tell you something, please!"
--
Disclaimers: I tried to own once...the police man said to put the paperwork down and step away from the filing cabinet. That's when they told me I wasn't allowed to go within a hundred yards of any funimation-owned building. So no, do not own FMA. Or Creed. I do however own something! I own Suzu, May, Rorie and Jo. You know who you are! Mwahah! I own you!
Kmid