Chapter 12


The setting sun had broken through the darkness of the dwelling clouds, casting it's light across the bustling city. The horizon was a rainbow of reds, oranges, and yellows, creating a false sense of warmth. The sun slowly drifted further away with every passing minute, allowing the cold to sink in, even inside those who were protected from it.

Roy watched the view as he leaned back in his seat and lazily rested his hands on the steering wheel, waiting for the traffic light to turn green. He was brought to wonder when the last time he saw a true sunset was since the constant storms had begun. The less realistic, optimistic part of his mind hoped that the stunning sight was some kind of messege; prophesying that things were about to finally start going his way. A sign that things were going to get better from here on out. If only he believed in such things.

But after today specifically, he would have certainly welcomed it.

It was his second day back at the office since his long weekend, but it proved to be even less productive than the day before. He spent most of his time filling out paperwork in order to transfer partial command over to Colonel Henry Douglas, which took far longer than it should have. Roy had the sneaking suspicion that someone was making the process painfully slow just to spite him. When he wasn't doing that, he tried to research further into those in the military files who he suspected to be Riece, but that was difficult to do when people were breathing down his neck the entire time.

Despite the little interrogation from yesterday, Douglas still seemed to suspect him and his men of "harboring a criminal," as the blond so-subtly put it. Roy grimaced at the thought from earlier that day as he pressed his foot down on the accelerator and turned a corner. While the other colonel clearly wasn't wrong to suspect him, it still pissed him off.

He wasn't even that suspicious to begin with! Or at least, he had tried really hard not to be. Having as much pride in his acting and persuasion skills as he did, it should have worked. Douglas probably just wanted to point fingers at someone as soon as possible, and Roy happened to be the most convenient candidate, seeing as he had known the kid in question the longest.

But he had spent years building up a cold, merciless reputation for himself, just like almost everyone else at Central Command. He shouldn't have to put up with this.

But regardless, he had many eyes on him, just waiting for him to slip up. Roy wouldn't let it happen; he was going to keep Fullmetal safe and hidden until they had enough evidence to support his innocence. He had to.

There was no other possibility. He wouldn't allow himself to be blinded by what appeared to be obvious, like the rest of the whole damn country. Roy was certain that there was more to this situation than meets the eye. And if anything allowed him to continue hoping that Edward was guiltless, then he would take it. He would do whatever it took to ensure that his subordinate didn't wrongfully end up behind bars.

It just might take a bit longer than expected, thanks to Colonel Douglas' probing. It came to the point that Roy actively tried to avoid him. His efforts paid off, thankfully, because he didn't see a glimpse of the man during the last few hours of the work day. That small amount of time wasn't quite enough to make any real progress, but he just hoped he could do the same tomorrow.

At least he could now go back home to relax for a few blissful hours; that is, assuming Edward hadn't gone stir crazy yet. He still wasn't very comfortable with the idea of leaving his subordinate alone in the house for hours on end each day, but he really didn't see any alternative.

For years now, Ed had always been on the move in some way, shape, or form- he was always doing something. Roy could understand how suddenly having to keep still for several days in a row could have its effects; he would probably have to discuss the matter later that night.

The colonel turned the car onto his street and narrowed his eyes as he immediately noticed a few black vehicles parked further down the row, precariously close to his house.

As he drew closer, he determined that they were actually all parked directly in front of his house, all in which were empty. A subtle chill ran down his back as Roy pulled into the driveway and stepped out, eyeing the cars suspiciously. Something wasn't right here.

His suspicions were confirmed as he turned around to see that his front door was wide open and there was a flurry of movement inside. Alarms went off in his head and he immediately kicked himself into action. He ran up to his door, hesitating slightly at the sight of the bent door hinges and the lock that had been broken off the frame.

His door had been kicked in.

Roy looked up to see multiple figures clad in military blue and black shifting around his house. An almost suffocating mix of thoughts and emotions bashed into his head all at once, leaving him slightly dazed. Throughout them all, one specific concern shadowed the rest:

Edward.

"What the hell is going on here?!" He demanded, not bothering to hide the boiling anger from his voice.

The few soldiers that rummaged around his living room glanced at his outburst until one of them decided to face his rage and speak up. "We're searching for signs of the rogue Fullmetal Alchemist under Colonel Douglas' orders, sir."

Roy bit down on his tongue to keep himself from barking at the solider. They were simply following orders, so there was no point in giving them an earful. No, his complaints were reserved for a certain colonel instead.

"Where is that-" he stopped himself, remembering to reign in control. It would do him no good to lose his cool now. Not until he cleared this up, anyway. "Where is he?" He continued coldly.

The major pointed him towards the kitchen, which Roy then quickly stomped inside. Douglas was standing in the center of the room, speaking calmly to another soldier when his blazing eyes locked on him. The taller colonel spotted him stalking through the doorway before he could get a word out.

"Colonel Mustang," he began with an expression that was just as emotionless as usual. "I was expecting you to show u-"

"You!" He cut in sharply and mentally restrained himself from doing something impulsive. "What right do you have to break into my house?"

The blond pulled a crisp paper from under his arm and handed it to Roy as a silent answer, who almost ripped the page as he swiped it out from his hand. Scanning the text over, his eyes widened slightly as he read the words search warrant and eyed a signature at the bottom by General Hakuro.

"And what exactly is your probable cause?" Roy nearly hissed as his narrowed eyes shot back up to the man. Even as a military state, they couldn't just break into a person's house without some kind of explination. As far as he was aware, there was no solid evidence to suspect him of anything; not anything that could merit this, anyway. He knew he wasn't Hakuro's favorite person either, but this was nearing unlawful.

"There were reports stated that Edward Elric was sighted here by neighbors."

Roy glared daggers at the man as he dug though his mind for an explanation. But no matter how he turned it, it just didn't make sense. Ed made sure that every window was constantly closed shut, and he hadn't left the house since he arrived. Then again, he did open the front door in the middle of the night, but no one should have seen him during that storm. Unless the man who Ed had seen that night, supposedly Riece, reported him, but that didn't sit quite right with him. It didn't add up.

"You're lying." His voice was low and careful as he watched the blond man like a hawk for the slightest reaction. But what he saw almost tempted him to punch him in the face.

Douglas allowed the faintest of smiles to creep across his mouth, causing him to radiate victory and confidence. It was the expression of someone who held all the cards. "Who can say?" he replied indifferently. "But if you're as innocent as you claim, than this shouldn't be a problem," he added, quirking an eyebrow as to wordlessly challenge him.

Roy glowered at the man for a moment. He had to drive the conversation away from his questionable involvement. "I'm just wondering why you decided to come when I clearly wouldn't be here. Or why I didn't hear about this during work hours."

"I planned to inform you, but you became rather difficult to track down." His feigned ignorance was almost insufferable. The man knew that Roy was trying to avoid him, and simply used it as his advantage. He clearly did not want him here when they broke in. "We were hoping you would arrive before we did, but we didn't have the time to wait around."

"But did you really have to break my door down?" he growled.

"I assure you, you will be fully compensated. But if the Fullmetal Alchemist was here, we couldn't have wasted any time with slower means of entry. I'm sure you understand. Now if you'll excuse me-" Douglas then stepped around Roy and walked back into the other room, leaving a seething colonel in his wake.

As infuriated as he was, his concern for Edward still eclipsed all else. They have probably been here for a while; since the young alchemist wasn't already found, he probably made a break for it, or hid. Roy just hoped that he did something clever enough to avoid detection for the remainder of their stay.

It seemed that he truly had no choice but to sit down and endure. Arguing would only draw suspicion towards himself, which was something that he could obviously not risk at this point. He wasn't entirely sure what caused Douglas to get so set on blaming him, but he wasn't about to let that man win.

The colonel was just waiting for Roy to break and complain, kick them all out or get a superior involved- but it wasn't going to happen. He would best them all no matter what.

However, he could regain some control over this; they could not justify looking in areas that their target would obviously not be. Assuming Edward hid somewhere with the help of alchemy, then perhaps Roy could keep them from over examining anything. He had to keep an eye out for transmutation marks too.

With his nerves alight with a foreboding trepidation, Roy went up the stairs and watched the soldiers scatter around his house with a irritated glare. Anyone would be annoyed at having their property invaded for any reason, and he would make sure that they knew it.

"-looks like someone else has been staying here." Roy glanced around the corner and into the guest room upon hearing a fraction of a conversation. Two of Douglas' men were looking at the guest bed, which Ed hadn't bothered to make since he arrived. The blankets and sheets were in disarray on top of the mattress. The colonel cursed at himself for not being prepared for this and stepped inside.

"Problem?" He asked with a controlled anger as the two noticed his approach.

The younger man hesitated while the other, a first lieutenant, spoke up, unfazed. "Colonel Mustang," he greeted stiffly. "Have you had any guests over recently?"

"Funny you should ask. I had one of my old drinking buddies spend the night last weekend; wouldn't have been safe for him to leave," he replied swiftly with Maes in his mind. Of course, he didn't want his friend to get wrapped up in his lie, so he continued before allowing them to pry for details. "I apologize that my house is such a mess; but clearly, I wasn't expecting more guests," he added cynically. Roy daringly stared down the lieutenant until he broke eye contact to write something down on a pad of paper.

The same thing repeated itself for the rest of the afternoon. He would catch some of the military personnel looking or discussing something that could potentially hint to a second person living in the household, which Roy would then have to defend. Thankfully, there wasn't much more for them to nitpick because Ed wasn't a particularly messy house guest.

By the time they finally started to pack up, Roy made sure to meet them by the broken front door to see them out with his arms folded and an annoyed glare set in place..

Henry Douglas approached him as the others piled out and took a moment to examine his apparent vexation. "Someone will be by tomorrow to repair your door." The blond didn't sound very concerned or apologetic. Rather, he sounded as if he was just covering his bases.

Roy decided not to reply to the man's comment. Instead, he unfolded his arms and adopted a more neutral, yet hardened expression. "I hope you found what you were looking for," he said sharply.

Douglas considered him for a long moment, before wishing him a good night and continuing on his way. Roy returned the farewell before propping the damaged door against the frame.

They were both lying.

The alchemist peered through the blinds and watched the soldiers until they had climbed into their cars and drove away. Once they were finally gone, he released a deep, wary sigh and rubbed his eyes.

Now he just had to find Edward.


Ed was fixing himself up a pre-dinner sandwich a few hours before Mustang was expected to return. It was the second day since the man had returned to work, but he would be lying to himself if he said he had already gotten used to it. At least when he heard noises throughout the house during the weekend, he was able to tell himself that it was just the older alchemist. But now that he was alone, every creak of the house caused him to flinch or even dive for cover.

It was disgusting.

Had he really fallen so low and become so incompetent that he couldn't spend a few hours by himself? But that thought alone was enough to kick his defiant nature into motion; he was going to prove to himself and Mustang and everyone else who cared that he would be just fine. No one who wanted to find him knew he was there, no one knew were to look for him, and no one was going to break down the door in search for him.

Despite how many times he would tell himself to same thing for reassurance, it was just beginning to finally sink it. He had been there for several days, and there hadn't been any incidents, besides seeing Riece in the middle of the night. As terribly unnerving as that was, he at least knew that Riece wasn't actively trying to hunt him down. That thought didn't quell his worries in the slightest, but it didn't make them worse either.

However, as fate would have it, his brief moment of solace lasted for all of ten minutes before the first bang echoed throughout the building. Ed had just finished eating and was cleaning the dishes he had used at the time, but froze to the spot and dropped the plate in his hand into the sink, allowing it to clatter against the metal. Thankfully, it didn't break, but he was too preoccupied to look for cracks.

He stood rooted to the floor as a cold silence wrapped itself around himself and the entire house. Without warning, the second bang came, followed by the sound of cracking wood. A mental picture of someone kicking the front door was enough to pull Edward from the spot and brought him to leer into the living room. His limbs were shaking against his will and his breath hitched in his chest as he noticed that the front door was quickly being overpowered. Just before the final strike came, Ed made a mad dash for the staircase and fled to the second floor.

Mid-way up, the realization that the intruders would see evidence of his presence struck him in the head with the force of a truck. Without thinking, he turned into the guest room and his eyes jumped from side to side, certain his heart would burst from the nervous tension. The bed was a mess and his suitcase was sitting against the wall, thankfully completely packed. He supposed being constantly paranoid that he'd have to flee at any moment came in handy. He couldn't do anything about the sheets, but Ed quickly grabbed his suitcase and turned out, leaving the door wide open behind him.

He heard the sounds of barking orders and a parade of footsteps entering the main room as he hastily ran into Mustang's room. Ed then closed the door behind him and jumped towards the window to confirm his thoughts. Just as he feared, several black cars were parked in front of the building and men dressed in blue and black were running up the driveway.

Edward didn't have the time to consider why as he scrambled his brain to decide what to do. He had two options: run or hide. Running away would increase the risk of them finding him, and could lead him straight into more potential problems. If he hid, he would be a sitting duck, but his chances seemed more likely.

He heard shouts coming from the bottom floor and had no doubt that the soldiers would be on their way up the stairs at any moment. He didn't have the time to go anywhere else, so Mustang's room would just have to do.

It took him a few precious seconds to make a decision. Once he did, Edward closed himself in the colonel's small walk-in closet. With only a crack through the door for light, he pressed himself into the far end corner and clapped his hands after dropping his case besides him. Just as he had done in the alleyway to get away from Havoc several days prior, Ed used alchemy to create a forth wall to hide himself from view in the already small space.

Lately, he hadn't been able to trust himself enough to do any alchemy in fear of messing up an equation. And while his mind still felt slower and more foggy than usual, he at least recovered enough confidence to preform a simple transmutation, especially since so much was currently on the line.

Just seconds later, the young alchemist heard the door open and several figures step inside the room, who then immediately began searching anywhere and everywhere. The closet door was pulled open just before Ed had lowered himself into the corner and clamped a hand over his mouth to keep his uncontrollably heavy breathing quiet.

Having trapped himself in pitch blackness, he had no idea how much time had passed overall or how long it took him to begin considering how and why this had happened. Only once he realized that he wasn't going to get immediately found and carried away did he allow his thoughts to drift, if only just to keep himself from hyperventilating.

When he first recognized that it was the military who had broken into the house, Edward's first thought was to blame Mustang. As they clamored throughout the building, he was terrified of recognizing any of the voices. If he noticed the colonel or any of his staff were there, than that would prove his suspicions, but it wouldn't cause him to feel as enraged as he would have expected. Instead, he was almost certain that he would just feel... well, he didn't know how else to put it, besides extremely disappointed and hurt. Perhaps there was a better fitting word to describe it, but if there was, Ed wasn't sure what it could be.

However, that dread slowly dissipated as he listened and failed to recognize any of the voices or names being called. Besides; in hindsight, it would not have made sense for this to be Mustang's doing. Not to mention the fact that it just didn't feel right, the man wouldn't break his own door down. It was stupid to consider that possibility in the first place.

But that begged the question: what happened to Roy Mustang?

Why did the military decide to break into his house when he wasn't home? Did they find out that he was helping Edward and decided to arrest him for it?

Edward always knew that he could very possibly end up behind bars, but he never considered the possibility of others getting locked up instead because of his actions.

His heart nearly jumped into his throat when he heard an angry yell from downstairs that sounded distinctively similar to Mustang's voice. He stared wide-eyed into the darkness of the small room and latched onto the voice as tightly as he could manage.

Ed listened carefully as he heard the deep mummers from the floor below, but was unable to pick out any specific words. Several minutes passed until the voice was heard once more, but from inside the nearest hallway. He was almost certain that it was truly Mustang who was chewing the other soldier's out.

He exhaled slowly through his fingers, allowing the strain to drain from his shoulders. Mustang was just as unaware of what was happening as Ed was. In comparison to being arrested for treason, that was preferable. It was still a bad sign that his house was getting searched in the first place, but it at least meant that they didn't have any solid proof of anything yet. He hoped not, anyway.

This did cause Edward to realize just how his presence was effecting the colonel, however. He didn't stop to consider the risks Mustang was taking by allowing him the stay in his house. When he was forced into accepting the offer, he didn't once think about anyone but himself and how he could personally be effected.

As he curled up in a small corner of the closet that smelled faintly of earth and smoke, Ed was struck by how selfish he was once again.

He knew that all he had to do now was wait for the colonel to clean up to mess and get the military personnel out of his house. The blond pulled his legs up to his body and rested his forehead on his knees as he wished he wasn't such of a burden all the time. There was absolutely nothing he could do but wait.

Ed was shaken out of his thoughts when one of the soldiers began poking around in the closet once more, by the sounds of it. If they noticed the transmutation marks, then he would surely be done for. It was unlikely that there was an alchemist within their group, but nothing could stop them from bashing the hastily created wall down and pulling him out.

The teenager held his breath and strained his ears when another voice appeared behind the wall. It sounded like Mustang had shown up and was reproving the solider for examining his closet. Edward toned most of it out after the colonel said something along the lines of "I know he's short, but he's not that small," before proceeding to usher the man out.

Ed wasn't sure if Mustang noticed the signs of a transmutation or was just being careful, but he appreciated it all the same. Or at least, he would, if he wasn't too busy keeping himself from yelling at the bastard through the wall for calling him short.

He had long since stopped paying any attention to the passage of time when the soldiers all started to leave. The mutters slowly decreased until they died out completely. Edward raised his head to listen when a silence spread throughout the house. Moments later, he heard footsteps racing up the stairs.

"Edward?" Mustang called out in another room, sounding uncharacteristically frantic and worried.

As a response, Ed clapped his hands together and returned the the forth wall within the closet back into the adjacent walls, then pulled himself to his feet. He stumbled out of the closet just in time for Mustang to step into the room. He looked up and studied the man.

At first glance, the superior officer looked tired and irritated, no doubt from coming home to see it filled with invaders. But underneath, there was a very visible sense of concern, which quickly gave way to relief. His shoulders sank and he sighed deeply at the sight of the younger alchemist.

"Thank god," he breathed and leaned against the door frame. "Where were you?"

"I transmuted the closet." All of this was Ed's fault, but the colonel still looked worried about his well being.

Mustang nodded fractionally and ran a weary hand through his hair. "How long were they here?"

Edward shrugged and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I dunno- a few hours, probably."

"Well, it didn't seem like they found anything" the colonel said before he walked away from the door frame and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Damn it, Douglas," he spat under his breath."

"Is that the colonel who took on the case?" He wasn't sure how else to respond to Mustang's frustration besides inquiring about it.

He nodded. "Colonel Henry Douglas- he seems convinced that I've been helping you even though there's absolutely no proof. I have no idea how he convinced Hakuro into signing off the search warrant."

"But he's right."

Mustang's only response was a sigh that sounded very similar to a drained yeah before he quieted into a contemplative state of thought. Edward watched him for a moment before falling into his own mind. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth hesitantly, then allowed the words to spill out without backing them with much thought.

"Are you... Uh, is your job as risk because of this?" His voice sounded strange to him as he spoke, but couldn't quite figure out why.

Mustang looked up at the blond and blinked at him silently for a moment, apparently surprised by the question judging by the way he quirked his eyebrows. "I will admit that there are some risks, but I'm not too concerned," he replied with a vague smile.

Edward watched him carefully. He wasn't sure if he could believe the man or not, or if he could even afford to. "Then maybe... maybe I should leave."

Mustang paused and the smile fell from his face as he returned the kid's unstable gaze. "What are you talking about?" he eventually asked, clearly giving him his full attention.

Ed swiftly broke eye contact in favor of staring holes into the wall. "I mean- I just-" He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "It's not right for you to put up with all of this just because I screwed up," he said with a wince. He did a whole lot more than simply screw up, and idly wondered how Mustang would decipher that.

Mustang studied him carefully, nearly causing Ed to squirm under the weight of his eyes. "Like or not, but you are my responsibility, Fullmetal." The use of his title made it obvious that he was back in superior officer mode. "Besides, do you honestly think that I'd be better off if I just let you to walk back out onto the streets?" The fire behind his words that almost sounded offended told Edward not to respond to the rhetorical question.

Edward shook his head subconsciously and dared to meet the colonel's gaze. "I get that you wanna help, but it just doesn't feel right."

"Enough," Mustang snapped. "Besides, I would still do all I can to solve the case. You leaving would only slow it down." Ed gave him a hard stare- he certainly wasn't holding anything back. "Regardless, we agreed that you would only leave if I betrayed your trust."

"So you're just going to trap me here?" Ed wasn't quite sure where the accusation came from. He never once felt trapped, and certainly didn't want to leave at this point. Perhaps he still wasn't thinking straight; instead of thanking the colonel like he should have, he was blaming him for his generous actions.

The blond's words must have struck a cord in the older man, because his visibly hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Making you feel trapped is the last thing I want," he sighed. "I may not let you leave for good without a fight, but you don't have to stay here all day long." The offer shocked everything but surprise away from the teenager's face. Before he could utter a response, Mustang continued firmly. "It seems like you've gotten enough sleep now to avoid walking into traffic, but if you're going to go outside, you need to be smart about it."

Edward's suggestion to take his burden off the colonel's shoulders by fending for himself once more seemed to have been tossed off the table completely. His desire to carry his own weight for once was still present, but his need to remain somewhere safe overpowered it. He should just shut up and be thankful.

Ed nodded and looked down blankly at the ground. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing by complying or not. Was it wrong of him to stay and continue to risk Mustang's career? His mind was spinning and his many thoughts tangled together. He couldn't decide anything in that state.

He might as well agree and give it some time for the moment. Since it was an option now, perhaps going for a walk would help the clear his mind. But then again, he didn't really feel like going anywhere just yet...

He looked up again after vaguely realizing that Mustang was still talking to him. The man watched him expectantly as if he had just asked a question. "Uh, yeah," he replied dumbly, at a loss for what he was replying to. But whatever it was, the colonel seemed as satisfied with his answer as he could hope.

With that said, Ed sensed that the conversation had more or less drawn to a close and it was his cue to leave. He grabbed his suitcase from the closet and stepped into the door frame. He looked across the hall to the guest room, then glanced over his shoulder to see Mustang wearily rubbing his eyes. He looked away again as his mind debated with itself and cleared his throat.

"Hey Mustang," he began quietly, his voice just barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"... Thanks." without waiting for a response, Edward slipped into his room and closed the door behind him. Despite knowing that he would have to face the man again soon during dinner, he needed some time to think.


AN: There are most likely some realistic protocol issues with the events of this chapter, but my research attempts did not give me much to work with. It was brought to my attention that military states probably don't even use search warrants, but we're just gonna go with this.

Thanks for reading!