The following week was a nightmare. Edward didn't want to stay in the house because Al and Winry had known that he was lying about something the moment he'd gotten in from his not-date with Ethan. He had been on edge and tense and Al's senses were heightened for that kind of thing when it came to his brother so he instantly knew something was wrong. Edward had denied that it was Ethan, trying to play it off as worry about Roy, but he knew that neither really believed him. So he had tried to avoid spending too much time with them until he knew what he was going to do about Ethan and his threats. It was hard to avoid them both and still keep an eye on them though. Edward was scared that Ethan would go after one of them regardless, so he was torn between avoiding them and not ever letting them out of his sight.
It didn't help that he was also worried about Roy. He still hadn't heard from the team, and he knew for a fact that they should have gotten to Briggs without any issue, so when a week came and past with no word from anyone Ed was growing more and more irritable. He found himself in Central Command again, pacing Roy's office and trying to think of a reason that Roy wouldn't have called by now. After almost an hour he dropped into Roy's chair, resting his head in his hands as he took a deep breath in through his nose. He was panicking and all he could focus on was any number of awful things that might have happened to the man that he'd grown to love over the years. Had he even made it to Briggs? Was the team ambushed by someone and hurt? Or had General Armstrong just locked them all up the moment they tried to enter her fort? He had his hand on the phone before he even fully registered what he was doing.
Edward stared at his hand with a frown. What was he doing? Who the hell was he even going to call? Groaning at himself, Edward pushed himself up from the chair, turning his back to the desk and glaring out the window at the parade grounds beyond. There had to be a reason that Roy hadn't called, there just had to be. He had told Ed that he loved him. He wouldn't just say that and then disappear, right? No, Roy wasn't like that. Something must have happened? Maybe he just didn't have time to call?
He was so lost in his troubled thoughts that he didn't hear the quiet footsteps of someone coming into the office through the door he'd left open. It wasn't until the sound of Mustang's inner office door closing that Edward was pulled from his thoughts. His heart stuttered as he turned around and met Ethan's gaze. The brunette looked angry, but Edward wasn't sure why; he didn't care why, not really, but something wasn't right and it flicked a switch in him. Fight or flight was a wonderful thing really, and Ed had a good sense for when something was about to get dangerous – he just wasn't sure why his brain thought that right now was that time.
"Missing your CO that bad?" Ethan spoke, but Edward forced himself not to flinch at the tone. His words weren't cruel, but the disgust in his voice was so obvious that it felt like a smack in the face. "What did I tell you Elric? You're mine."
Ethan moved closer, but Edward took another step back, making sure to keep Roy's desk between them as he glared at the other man. Who the hell did he think he was? Anger bubbled up inside him, burning at the back of his throat, but he bit his tongue. Ethan had threatened Al and Winry. Edward knew that he had to be careful with what he said if he wanted to keep them safe, but fuck, it was hard to keep quiet when all he wanted to do was wipe that smug smirk of this bastard's face.
"What the hell are you going on about?" Edward asked, surprised at how steady his voice came out sounding.
"You and Mustang!" Ethan snapped, slamming his hands down on Roy's desk loud enough that Edward jumped. "I know that you have feelings for him! It's sick, Edward. You're sick! He's your commanding officer. You're half his age. When did this all start, huh? Has he been using you since you signed up?"
Edward was shaking his head from the first angry accusation, his pulse hammering in his throat. It was rumours, there was no way anyone could know the truth, right? Ethan was just trying to get under his skin. He had to be. "What the hell? Do you honestly think that? Mustang wouldn't ever stoop so low, he wouldn't use a child like that. If you seriously think that of him then you're the sick one! I was twelve when I joined, the last thing I wanted was fucking Roy Mustang."
"You want him now though, don't you?" Ethan snarled, moving around the desk and backing Edward into a corner. "You want him to fuck you, don't you? You're nothing but a slut, Edward. Do you seriously think that someone like General Mustang would actually want you? Look at you! He can have anyone he wants, why would he settle for a messed up cripple like you?" Ethan was screaming now, and a distant part of Edward's brain found it entertaining how his once handsome face transformed into something horrific as his eyes grew cold with hatred, his brow dropped into a scowl. He looked at Edward as if he was something disgusting on his boot that he couldn't get rid of.
"Why are you here, Ethan?" Edward asked after a moment. He didn't want to admit how much the other man's words hurt him. He didn't want to let them into his head, because he knew that the moment he did they would dig into his doubts, take root inside his mind and twist and distort everything until it was poisonous and black. He couldn't let Ethan get to him, he knew that, but ignoring his cruel words was harder than Edward would have liked to admit.
"I was told you were here, just sitting around in his office like some sad lost dog." Ethan stepped closer, and Edward continued to back away until his back hit the wall, making him glance over his shoulder to see that he had – in fact – been backed into the corner of the room, with no easy escape. The slam of a fist into the plaster next to his head made Edward jump with fright and he snapped his head back to watch as Ethan leaned over him, one arm pressed against the wall by Edward's head. The palm of the other hand was pressed to Edward's shoulder.
"Are you following me now?" Edward snapped, forcing his panic down, clinging to his bravado as if it was his only lifeline, as if it would keep him from drowning.
"You're mine! Mustang is gone! His team is gone. They left you Edward, and why wouldn't they? He is never coming back to you. I heard he's missing, lost in a blizzard. You're nothing but a lost puppy without your master." Ethan all but growled the words. Before Edward could react his flesh wrist was pinned to the wall and his head forced to the side as Ethan's mouth was on his neck. The sting of teeth biting into his flesh was lost beneath the nausea that threatened to choke him. Edward heard a small, scared whimper and he knew – somehow – that the noise was his own. His lungs felt heavy in his chest, useless and limp, as his fingers tingled with his fear and his mouth ran dry. Edward felt frozen, unable to move and he felt the sting of tears as Ethan pushed his body against his, biting his neck hard enough to bruise.
Whiskey. He could smell whiskey. He could always smell whiskey. His 'master' loved the stuff. The hand on his wrist tightened – as did the fist around his heart and Edward felt the wetness on his cheeks from his tears. Tears he didn't remember shedding. His body was shaking; trembling as he heard his name whispered in his ear. His head spun, light and fuzzy and he knew that he had to control his breathing. He needed to stop and focus on it. Slow, deep breathes. He knew that, but he couldn't make himself do it. He felt like he was dying and he clung to anything to try and ground himself in the panic.
Teeth on his neck; nails digging into his wrist; soft, taunting laughter and his name, whispered like a prayer. He shoved at the other man, forcing distance between them and felt his knees wobble as he got space between their bodies. Hal was dead. This wasn't him, this was Ethan. Hal was gone. So why did that laugh coming from Ethan's lips sound so much like Hal's? Why could he only smell the oak scent of whiskey? Edward couldn't bring himself to look up at his attacker, even as his brain slowly filled in the blanks of his panic. Ethan. He was with Ethan. His neck stung and he could hear cruel laughter over the ringing in his ears. His chest was tight, radiating heat around his body in blind panic. His skin felt like it was on fire and he needed to be alone. He needed Ethan to leave. He needed space to sort his head out, to regain control of himself.
"Get over him, Edward. Mustang is gone." With those parting words, Ethan turned on his heel and left, slamming the door shut behind him. Edward didn't wait for the sound of the outer office door shutting before he dove for the phone on Mustang's desk. He needed to know. He needed to hear Roy's voice. Edward was surprised by how calm his voice sounded as he got the operator to put him through to Briggs, bouncing on the balls of his feet with nervous energy. Ethan was lying, he had to be. Roy was fine. Of course Roy was fine. Ethan was just trying to get under his skin. Roy would answer and everything would be fine.
"General Armstrong, what is it?" The female voice on the other end of the line answered and Edward paused for a moment. Of course Olivier Armstrong would answer. Why would Roy answer the phone in Briggs? He knew that, and still he couldn't stop a part of him curling up in despair. "Well?"
"Sorry, sir. It's Edward Elric here." Edward stuttered, pausing for a second to try to calm himself. "I had something to tell Mustang, is the bastard there?" He waited for an answer, but the silence was long enough of one that he didn't really need to hear the general's words to confirm his fears.
"He is not." Armstrong's voice had softened slightly, and that alone broke his heart. "Mustang and some of his team haven't returned from a mission they went out on last week. I have people searching for them as we speak."
Edward was shaking his head, tears dropping onto the desk beneath his hand as he struggled to make sense of the words. Missing. Mustang was missing. That didn't make any sense. This was the Flame Alchemist they were talking about. It was General Roy Mustang. He couldn't just be missing. Edward didn't even feel the phone slip from his hand. He didn't feel the floor crash beneath him as he dropped to his knees, sobbing into his hands. He couldn't hear Olivier on the line, trying to get his attention.
The only thing Edward knew was the crushing agony in his chest at the thought of Roy being gone, and it was enough that he could barely breathe through the sobs that tore out of his throat.
It had been hours and Edward still wasn't home and it was worrying Al. His brother had been strange since his dinner with Ethan, but he wouldn't talk to him or Winry about it, just changing the subject whenever they had asked about it or Ethan and that was enough to make Alphonse worry. Edward had told them he was going into Central Command today, to see about finding out what happened with Roy, but that had been hours ago and there hadn't been anything from his brother. Al paced the living room again, and he could feel the weight of Winry's gaze on him.
"I need to go and look for him, Winry."
The girl nodded and was on her feet the moment he finished talking. "I'll come with you." She said, moving to take his hand in her own. Her skin was soft and warm next to his and it helped to take the jagged edges from his worry. She offered him a small smile and squeezed his hand. "I'm sure he'll be okay, though. You know how Ed gets. He's probably found a book and has curled up somewhere with it and completely lost track of time."
"Or he's gotten himself into trouble and is sitting in a jail cell until he cools off." Al muttered, giving Winry a small smile as she laughed at his words.
"At least he's safe locked up. Come on, I'm sure someone at Central will have seen him."
It didn't take them long to walk to Central and Alphonse wasted no time in making his way to the woman sitting at the reception desk, waiting patiently for her to notice him. Thankfully it didn't take too long before she looked up and smiled a greeting at him. He tried to return it, but he knew that it fell short. He was too worried about Ed to really manage a smile, but he was raised better and would never forget his manners. Winry squeezed his hand as he spoke.
"Hi there, I'm looking for my brother, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. He was coming in today but I've not heard from him. Have you seen him?"
The woman nodded and looked down at her desk for a moment, her eyes scanning a log in sheet. After a moment that felt too long to Al, she nodded again. "Yeah, he's signed in a few hours ago and never signed out. He should still be here. Perhaps he's in the canteen or in General Mustang's office? Would you like me to call up to the office?"
"No, thank you. I know where it is. I'll just go have a look for him. He's probably lost in some research."
Alphonse smiled, nodding his thanks to the woman as he and Winry moved further into the building, making their way up the stairs and around the bland, long corridors of Central Command until they made it to the General's office. The door was shut but Alphonse didn't wait before letting himself in and calling out to his brother. The outer office was completely empty, the desks bare and tidy, all paperwork filed away while the team was gone. Winry was distracted looking at a photo on the wall from when they were younger, a group shot of the whole team while Al was still trapped in the armour. He left her to look at it while he moved to Roy's inner office, opening the door – almost afraid of what he'd find.
What he did find made him pause in the doorway for a long moment. On the floor, curled up with his back against the General's desk was his brother. Edward was resting his head on his knees, hugging them close to his chest and rocking back and forth a little in an attempt to comfort himself. He was crying silently, but staring out of the large windows of the office with a distant look in his eyes. It was as if he wasn't there at all, as if his body was there but his mind was miles away. He didn't react to the sound of the door opening, or to Alphonse moving to his side. Even when Al sat next to him, Edward didn't so much as twitch. It was only when Al reached out to press a hand to Ed's arm that his brother moved.
At the touch, Edward jerked away, fear flashing across his features as he tried to put distance between them. It was only for a few seconds and then his brilliant mind caught up with him and he realised that it was Al that had touched him. The panic faded, and the deeper darkness returned. Alphonse noticed the phone then, hanging down the side of the desk; forgotten. He noticed the nail marks and bruises forming along his brother's flesh wrist. He noticed the bruising on Edward's neck that Al knew hadn't been put there willingly. Edward wouldn't let anyone claim him in such a sexual manner, not unless it was Roy – he supposed. But Roy was in the North.
The anger was sudden, and Alphonse wanted nothing more that to find who had hurt his brother like this and beat them into next week. Edward had suffered enough in his life, and nobody deserved to be assaulted like that! He was aware of Winry moving into the room, hesitating at his back for a minute, waiting to see what happened. He could sense the angry energy from her as she also took in the state of her childhood friend. "Brother?" Al spoke, and the instant that he did it was like he broke whatever spell they were all under.
"He's missing." Edward whispered, his voice hoarse and pained as fresh sobs tore through his body. "Al, he's missing. Roy's gone." The younger Elric pulled his big brother to him then, as Edward fell to pieces in front of them all over again. He didn't know what to say to comfort Edward, he didn't know how to make it better and he wanted to know who had attacked his brother, but he knew that Edward wouldn't even notice his injuries in that moment, he would be too concerned with this lover, with the man that only last week had sat in their home and told Alphonse and Winry of his intentions with Ed – much to the younger alchemist's embarrassment.
Winry moved silently around the brothers, dropping to her knees behind Edward and wrapped her arms around him completely until Edward was almost smothered between them. He didn't seem to care; he didn't even seem to notice. His fingers – flesh and metal – just curled into Alphonse's shirt, tugging on the material as he wept. He cried for so long that Alphonse was sure that he was going to make himself sick. He cried for so long that eventually there was no sound from him, just the trembling of his shoulders and the occasional gasp of air to try and regulate his breathing. All Al could do was hold him, rubbing comforting circles across his shoulder blades and wait for the storm to pass.
It broke his heart to see Edward so hurt though, and Alphonse wished for any way that would make this easier for his brother. He knew that they needed to find Mustang, and the youngest Elric found himself silently praying to a deity neither of them believed in – asking for one wish; asking that Mustang be safe and alive. He didn't know how Edward would cope in his vulnerable state if the man he loved was gone forever. Al stayed with his brother until Edward had drifted off into a dreamless sleep, curled up against him. He watched in silence as Winry managed to get through to Briggs and he listened intently to her side of the conversation with someone he could only assume was General Armstrong.