Draped in Wires
by. Poisoned Scarlet

Theme 36: Weighed Down

"You're twenty two, what'cha gonna' do now, pipsqueak?"

"Way to ruin my off time, you hag." Edward kicked a stone out of his path, his hands jammed into his overcoats pockets. The university loomed tall behind him, the campus more intimidating than it should appear. It was empty now, the wind drafting through the bare halls, and the few people that were holed up within the school grounds.

He had only come there for one thing: a placement exam.

He knew it was rather stupid, to try to enter a top-notch university without high school education, but the placement exam had been far too easy to acquire, to finish, and he had nothing else to lose.

He had already lost the one thing that would have surely qualified him for any job on the market: alchemy.

Now all he had was the extensive knowledge of the art, and what good would that be without the capable hands to preform it?

Acting on his impulse, he clenched his hands in his pockets.

He left the Rockbell household on 'classified business', as he had smartly told Winry, for the sole reason of finding a job. The satisfaction of his proactive ways was clear on the old woman's face, who managed to make Winry heel enough for him to pack up his stuff and leave for Central for a few days.

She was already more than infuriated with him and he supposed that he could make up for his rude ways by breaking the news to her – that is, if he managed to find a job he could actually tolerate.

A car slowed beside him and Edward ignored the vehicle until a familiar voice rang out:

"How have you been holding up, Full Metal? I haven't seen or heard of you for around two years now. I'm lucky no one else has the same hair color as you or else I would have drove right past you."

Edward paused, turning to his once-superior officer Roy Mustang. He allowed a wry smile to cross his face. The military officer hadn't changed aside from his rank. He even shaved off that humiliating mustache he had once ridiculed via a letter. "You know I don't go by that name now, Mustang."

Roy shrugged, nonchalant. "You were branded a nationwide hero – you even received a few awards and special recognition from the Fuhrer himself."

"Me and how many others?" Ed snorted, derisively. "Besides, that's all military bullshit – it won't get me anywhere right now."

Mustang hummed in thought. "Need a lift?"

"...Only because it's cold," he muttered as he got in, closing the passenger door after him. Mustang revved the engine and they were off down the street once more, the sidewalk a flash of dismal colors he could barely begin to recognize.

"Applying for college?" Mustang conversed, casually. "Don't you think it's a bit late for that?"

"I'm twenty two, you moron, I'm not some old geezer like you."

Mustang scowled. His age was something he was sensitive about and the brat knew it. "Watch your tongue, Edward!"

"Or what?" Ed mocked. "You'll file me in for insubordination?"

Roy allowed a smile to brief his face at the quick-witted banter. It had been far too long since he had had someone raise his voice to him in such an insolent manner. In a way, it was one of the few charms he had found himself missing from the young former-alchemist.

He supposed it wouldn't be long before he was facing the temperamental man every single day...

"Worse, I can file you in for disrespecting an officer and get you arrested."

Ed snorted.

After a few more minutes of silence, Roy asked: "How do you think you did?"

"I passed. That test was stupidly easy." Ed replied demurely. "However, I highly doubt they'll accept me. This was more of a waste of time than I hoped." He sunk into his seat. "I skipped preparatory and barely finished secondary school – there's absolutely no way they would accept me without at least a high school degree."

"Then why take it in the first place?"

"Boredom?" Ed shrugged. "Or try to see if my luck would pull through one last time?"

"Financial issues?" Roy guessed.

"I've got enough money in the bank to pay for my tuition twice over." Ed muttered, darkly. "But that won't last me my whole lifetime and with the way I'm hoping the next few years to pan out, I'll need something that offers a steady income."

Mustang nodded in understanding. "You're unemployed."

"I've been unemployed for a long time now." He admitted dryly. "I never really saw the need for a job until a few days ago, actually. My life has been so orientated in the militaristic lifestyle that I never saw the need to worry about getting official documentation to prove how high I can score on a test," he rolled his eyes, "so I could get myself a job and live the Amestrian dream like all the other good folks of this blood-risen country."

"Why don't you become a professor at the university then?" Roy suggested, rather breezy. "It shouldn't take all that long to receive your GED and then take a few classes and receive your teaching credentials. It should all take around three to four years."

"I don't have that much time to spare," came his quiet reply.

They fell into silence once more.

"So, what a coincidence that you happened to be joy riding around the most rural part of Central." Edward began, casually. "Another national crisis that needs my help? As much fun as it is to have my ass handed to me, I'll pass."

"No, nothing of the sort." Roy chuckled. "Although, there are a few things I wanted to discuss with you."

Ed waited expectantly.

"Taking into consideration your dilemma with being unable to find a good paying job, I have a small proposal for you." Mustang slowed at a red light. "As you know, recently I have opened up a new division within the ranks, the Department of Alchemical Abuse and Exploitation, and, fortunately for you, the head chief has just been fired for providing an unethical working environment and abusing the very thing he was assigned not to abuse." Roy rolled his eyes.

"Unethical working environment?" Ed rose a brow.

"He was running the place down, lets just leave it at that." Mustang dryly answered.

Ed snorted in laughter. "So much for trying to prevent the abuse of alchemy!"

"Which brings me to my next point." Roy sighed out. "I honestly can't see any other person being able to run the department as smoothly as I can see you do it, much to my dismay."

"So, you're offering me a job." Ed flatly summed.

"Basically."

"In the military."

"Correct."

"With a bunch of PTSD maniacs and maybe a working coffee maker."

"Quick, as always."

Edward scoffed, turning his head to the window. The sky was a murky color, a gray that cast its gloomy lights upon the Central City streets in guttered, dark, shades. "When I first enlisted as a soldier in the State Military, I promised myself that the instant I restored Alphonse's body, I would resign and never return." He said, voice low. "I refuse to become a dog of the state again. I don't care how much you're willing, or even planning, to change the way the military runs its things – until then, it'll always be a corrupt, screwed-up, system of megalomaniacs and the worst scum this earth could possibly compose."

"You have such a low view on the people who protect your family." Mustang chuckled, darkly.

"You and I would both agree on this particular perspective so don't give me that shit." Ed muttered.

"You're right, but what else do you have going for you?" Mustang persuaded, coldly. "You have lost your alchemy in exchange for your brothers body. Despite the extensive alchemical knowledge you have amassed over the years, you cannot even put that to use since you can no longer preform it. I know fairly well you're far from giving up the art, so why not put your intellectual knowledge to good use and take the job?" Before Edward could counter, Roy cunningly added: "Who knows, you might help prevent another tragedy like the Shou Tucker case..."

There was a pregnant pause before Edward's strained laugh filled the silence.

"You're still a manipulative bastard." He smiled, very slightly "You haven't changed at all, Mustang."

"Neither have you, pipsqueak."

"Piss off, I beat you by an inch."

"You wish."

"Useless Colonel."

"That's Brigadier General to you, half-pint!"

"Ha, you admit to being useless?"

"What—I said no such thing!"

"Useless." He sang, smugly.

"Look!" Roy snapped. "Will you accept the job or not? You'll be placed on a Major's salary and you'll qualify to act as one of the three judges during the State Alchemist Exams every year during the fall. Your answer?"

Edward heaved a sigh, pretending to contemplate the decision. In all honesty, the answer had come to him the instant Roy brought up his trump card. It wasn't the best job in the world, and there were no guarantee's that he would be able to stay home for longer than a month, but the opportunity had presented itself and the income would be the best he was going to get until he got promoted...

"Do I have to wear one of those stuffy military uniforms?"

"Yes, you do."

"Damn...fine."

"You start next week, Monday. Six am sharp. Any later and I'm docking twenty off your pay."

"What? Is that even legal?"

"For me it is."

"Mustang!" Ed growled.

"Relax, Full Metal." Roy smiled, turning to him and saying: "Welcome back."

"I can't say it's good to be back," Ed sighed, watching the sky again. "But it sure as hell isn't gonna' get any easier than this."