Here's my promised quick update.
bloodynessie: I'm happy that you're still interested in reading this story. I'm happy that I'm still going as well. I missed this.
Shadowwolf1997: There will be many more bangs to look forward to. Thanks for continuing to read this story.
Joker Oak: I hope that you are just as excited for this chapter as well. This story definitely went into hibernation but thankfully it's not dead. I will finish it if it kills me. The relationship building has been one of my favorite things about this story. Since it's much more of a slow burn then my other stories, I get to play around with that element a bit more.
Hero-man Senshi: This story will be finished. I will definitely have that suggestion in mind. Solaris and Envy going to a fancy party together would be so much fun to write.
Rhaella Tully: Making Kimblee complex and not just a one dimensional character was really important to this story. He isn't someone who's evil for evil's sake. He's doing all this for a reason. Ed and Winry's relationship is interesting to work with too. It's much more of a slow burn than I'm used to.
A Quiet Morning: Thank you. I'm glad it wasn't hard to get back into the story. You'll find out more about Lyra's past as the story progresses. I hope you enjoy the next couple of chapters.
OoO
OoO
Mustang's flashback:
"No Roy, don't eat that!"
"What, why?" Officer Roy Mustang asked as he turned to look at his partner, burger in hand.
"If you eat it, you'll get fat. Then it will be even harder for you to get a wife."
"Fuck off, Hughes." Mustang groaned as he took a bite of his burger.
Maes Hughes laughed. The older cop loved to rile up his younger partner. The 21 year old rookie officer was far too serious for the 26 year officer's liking.
"It's never too early to start looking." Hughes quipped, nudging Roy's shoulder.
"Let me be a cop for five minutes first." Mustang sighed, wishing for this conversation to end swiftly.
"You gotta keep looking forward, Roy my boy." Hughes grinned, eyes shining behind his glasses. "One step after another."
"And be a married cop with a kid by age 25?" Roy monotoned. "Rather not."
"What's wrong with-"
Suddenly their scanner went off. A voice tinged by static spoke. "We have reports of shots fired on Crimson street." The voice on the radio said. "Possible 187. Closest officers respond, over.""
Hughes picked up the radio. "Roger that. Cruiser 209, we're on it."
"I got the lights." Mustang said quietly, turning on the sirens. The lights on the top of the car illuminated the area around them in a rotating red and blue as the siren blared.
"Second murder scene this week." Hughes said, his words lacking the humor which his voice had held only moments earlier.
"Lucky us." Roy muttered as Hughes sped the car down the street. For Mustang, driving to a crime scene always seemed to take forever. Crimson street wasn't even that far away yet the drive still felt long in his mind. Perhaps it was the knowledge that a crime had taken place and the anxiety to get there as soon as possible which dragged it out for Roy.
Eventually Hughes turned a corner and they were at their destination. There was already a crowd that had gathered as the police cruiser came to a stop in the middle of the street. The sounds of the police sirens and the flashing lights caused them to disperse slightly. Maes stopped the car, and opened the door at his side and stepped out.
"Police!" He called, one hand at the ready by his weapon. "Everyone step back!"
Roy stepped out of the car and followed his partner. The crowd was almost completely dispersed by now, moving backwards to linger in alleys or hug the sides of buildings. It was always eerie how the people of Central reacted to a crime or the arrival of police. Most would quickly get out of the way as if it was something they were trained to do. Their dispersal finally allowed Roy the chance to glance around and get a good look at the scene. He cursed under his breath when he saw the bloody scene before them. There were two bodies on the ground, a man and a woman. But what struck Roy the most wasn't the corpses, it was who was standing next to them.
"Mommy! Daddy!" A little girl stood, frozen in shock and horror, staring down at her parents.
For a second Roy found himself unable to move as he stared at the child. She looked about to be around ten or nine years old. She wore a small yellow sundress with pink flowers on it, along with a few fresh blood splatters.
"Roy, get the kid!" Maes shook him out of his thoughts. The older cop was moving to inspect the bodies.
"Got her." Roy said, he quickly made his way over to the young child. He could see pedestrians standing a far distance from the scene watching what was happening.
'None of them thought to help her!' Mustang grit his teeth as he finally reached the child. Gripping her gently by the shoulders, he turned the shell-shocked girl away from the horrid sight. The child didn't even seem to notice, her eyes now a blank stare.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, keeping her turned away from the scene behind her. "Can you hear me?"
"Take her to the car and radio an ambulance." He heard Maes say. The bespectacled man was confirming whether the man and woman were dead or not. After that, he'd begin to call out for witnesses for the homicide detectives to talk to. In the distance, the siren of another approaching cruiser could be heard.
Following his partner's instructions, Roy gently led the girl over to the car. He opened the back door and helped her sit. She was starting to shake now so Roy took off the jacket he was wearing out around her shoulders.
"Awww Christ." He heard Maes exclaim loudly from behind him.
"What?" Roy asked, looking over his shoulder. Maes had gone back to standing over the bodies of the girl's parents. Maes turned to look at him with a grave expression on his face.
"This is Urey and Sarah Rockbell."
There are some memories that people can recall more vividly than others. Roy could still remember almost every detail of that day. The shouts of nearby civilians, the shock of discovering who the victims were. But what had stayed with him the most were the heartbroken and confused cries of ten year Winry Rockbell.
The ambulance was on its way and another cop car had showed up, but none of that could do anything to fix the trauma Winry Rockbell has gone through. Roy had been able to get her away from the violent image of her dead parents. She was currently sitting in the car with his coat around her small shoulders. The poor child's horror had been replaced with confusion and denial.
"Sir?" The little girl asked, her body trembling under his heavy coat. "Are my parents okay?" Her wide blue eyes stared up at him.
Roy felt all of the breath leave his body. He looked at Hughes for help, but his partner appeared equally lost as what to say. There were many things that a person learned in the police academy, but nothing could prepare you for moments like this.
Although it wasn't public knowledge, most members of the police force had heard rumors about Van Hohenheim and Dr. Urey Rockbell. The two men had grown up in the same neighborhood and were apparently childhood friends. What happened after that varied depending on who you asked, but the two had apparently stayed connected in some way.
'I can still remember the look on Hohenheim's face when he saw the bodies.' Roy thought, staring out the window in front of him. Not long after the ambulance arrived, the Hohenheims had swarmed the crime scene. Van himself arrived shortly thereafter in a limo. Upon seeing the bodies, Roy had witnessed Van's carefully constructed mask crumble, if only for a few seconds. He had seen grief on the crime lord's face, but most prevalent was the rage.
Whatever the connection between the two men was, Roy always suspected that it was what got Urey and Sarah Rockbell killed. And tragically left their young daughter an orphan.
'They never caught who did it.' Mustang remembered. 'So perhaps Hohenheim was involved somehow.'
He could still recall what the witness statements had said about the moments leading up to the shooting. Like with all eyewitness testimonies, he had read them with a grain of salt but they did paint a mostly consistent image. Apparently everything had been calm in the moments leading up, the Rockbell family were having a peaceful stroll and enjoying their night. Suddenly a man across the street walked up to them, pulled a gun, and opened fire on the family. Descriptions of him had varied but most witnesses claimed that he was young and had dark hair.
He only saw Winry Rockbell one other time after that, at the funeral of her parents. The murder case had been taken over by the homicide division so he never had a chance to speak with the young child again. From what him and Maes had heard in the following weeks, Winry's grandmother had moved her out of the city.
'Yet that was Winry Rockbell at the hospital with Edward Hohenheim yesterday. How the hell did that happen?' Mustang unconsciously tapped a finger against the window as he thought. Seeing her after all these years was almost as shocking as Edward's bizarre 'thank you' from a few days ago. As soon as he got home, Roy had done some digging and found that Ms. Rockbell was currently the younger Hohenheim's acting automail mechanic.
"Is it really that small of a world?" He wondered out loud.
"Your third full day out of the hospital and you're still staring ominously out of the window?" A familiarly dry but soft voice sounded behind him.
"You never know what might help you make a sudden realization." Roy replied. "A pigeon on the horizon might be just what I need to figure this whole thing out."
Riza let out a sigh. "Roy, what Winry Rockbell does with her life is her own business. She's not that scared little girl anymore."
"But what are the odds?" Roy asked seriously, turning around. "What are the odds that after fifteen years, she's back in Central and with the Hohenhiems?"
Riza shrugged. "Not that surprising considering their parents. Maybe Van reached out to her?"
"Perhaps." Mustang murmured, running a hand through his raven hair. "You opened the door for them, how was Winry Rockbell acting around him?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did she seem comfortable around him, did it seem like the two of them were close?" Roy asked, motioning in the air with one hand.
Riza frowned, giving him a blank look. "Roy, I was more focused on the fact that Edward Elric was there so studying their possible relationship slipped my mind."
"Forget it." He groaned, turning back to look out the window. Several seconds mast before he backed away from it and began talking.
"Something feels off." Roy said, starting to pace around the room. "Fuck it, everything's been off ever since Edward Hohenheim's car got hit. Now the Hohenheim and Rockbell families are reunited. And Frank Archer is apparently missing."
"Roy." Riza said, walking up to him and stopping him by placing her hands on his chest. "You know that above all others I trust you and your instincts. If you believe that there is something going on behind the scene, I'll help you find it." Roy looked down at her and suddenly went in for a kiss. However, Riza pulled back just in time.
"But not until we get back from our vacation."
Roy frowned. "You're going to be the death of me one day." He sighed in resignation.
OoO
OoO
The Ouroborus, Early Afternoon:
Solaris Bailey twirled a martini drink in her hand. The shades were drawn in her office, setting a rather noire setting. Currently the beautiful nightclub owner was sitting at her desk with her most trusted employees in front of her. These included her assistant Juliet, her brother Gluttony, as well as two of her 'girls' Clara and Rose.
"So tell me." Solaris spoke in her signature husky voice. "What has that little worm been up to."
Clara and Rose exchanged looks before the pink highlighted girl stepped forward. "For the last week Tucker has mostly been keeping to his schedule." Rose informed her. "The bastard is like a damn robot."
Solaris nodded and took a sip of her drink. Ever since the sit down at Hohenheim manor between her and Shou Tucker, she had been having her girls secretly spy on the bespectacled cretin. Van may have bought a temporary ceasefire, but Solaris knew that it wouldn't last forever. Shit was eventually going to hit the fan again, and this time she couldn't rely on Edgar to help smooth things over. However, Solaris was determined to not be the one who broke the peace. She knew that Tucker would end up violating Van's terms eventually and having proof of such an action would get her the Hohenheim seal of approval to finally send Shou to hell.
"I can't believe we're actually hoping for Tucker to do something awful." Juliet commented from her seat next to the desk, disgust in her voice.
"There's a difference between hoping for something awful to happen and simply being prepared." Solaris corrected her. "We're merely awaiting the inevitable and saving our future selves trouble." Solaris took another sip before looking back at her two spies.
"Well carry on."
Clara continued. "As Rose said, Tucker's mostly been sticking to his usual screwed up schedule. That is, except for two nights ago."
This got Solaris' attention as she sat up straighter. "Do tell." She purred curiously.
"Two nights ago, Tucker left his midtown establishment, but it wasn't in his usual limo. Instead he took a blacked out SUV, and only brought one bodyguard with him."
'If only we could kill him that would've been a perfect chance.' Solaris' fingers tightened around the glass. "Where did he go?"
At this, Rose and Clara sighed. "Unfortunately, we don't know." The blonde woman explained. "We trailed him for thirteen blocks before he got away from us."
"Did he know you were following him?" Solaris asked with narrowed eyes.
"I don't think so. It seemed pre-planned." Rose spoke up. "As soon as his car started he was going in circles. I think wherever he was going, he wanted to be damn sure that no one was following him."
Solaris frowned deeply, her nails digging into the desk and creating indents. Gluttony noticed this and pulled her hand away from the surface.
"Careful with the nails, Solaris." He said.
"Thanks Gluttony." She murmured before looking back at Clara. "Increase our surveillance on Tucker, but be careful. The fucker is planning something, but I don't want you to take any unnecessary risks." Solaris hissed as she remembered what Tucker's men had done to Emma. The poor girl was still too traumatized to come to work and barely left her house at all.
"Yes Ma'am." Both Clara and Rose said in unison.
"Good, now is there anything else to tell me?" The raven haired beauty leaned back in the chair, her purple eyes traveling over everyone in the room. After a beat, Juliet cleared her throat and stood up.
"I called May Chang like you asked and gave her the offer." The brunette secretary explained.
Solaris arched an eyebrow. "And?"
"She seemed open to the idea, but first she wants a representative of hers to come and survey the club before making any final decisions." Juliet spoke the last words with a wince, knowing what was coming.
"Survey?" Solaris scowled, sounding offended. "Does the high and mighty drug queen have standards? What's her deal breaker, if there aren't freshly pressed towels in the bathrooms?" The last words were bitten out with sarcasm.
"Easy there, Solaris." Juliet tried to placate her boss. "She just wants to make sure we're legit." Upon seeing more anger on Solaris' face, she started to sweat. "I mean she just wants to make sure we're not going to be breaking the Hohenheim's rules, or get raided by the cops…something like that."
Solaris' eyes were still narrowed, eventually she closed them and gave a sigh. "Fine. Chang can send this errand boy, then we start doing real work."
Since the Hoheheims had started doing business with May Chang, the rest of Central's underworld had been scrambling to get in on the action. Juliet reached out to the mysterious drug queen to try and negotiate a deal to start selling her merchandise at the Ouroborus. Solaris often had pretty wealthy clients, alcohol and beautiful dancers would only entertain them for so long. The idea of someone surveying the club was an ego blow, but she would bear it to get this deal done.
'I'm going to have to thank Edgar for the recommendation." Her lips curled into a small smile as she thought of the green haired man. It had been a few days since they had last seen each other, both being rather busy. Thankfully they both seemed to have some free time the next couple of days, and were planning to make every single second last.
'I wonder if he'll be open to using the handcuffs again.' She chuckled huskily. Next to her Juliet was updating her on the club's weekly performance to which she was only half paying attention to. Solaris' lustful thoughts of Edgar had transitioned to how he was the only person outside of the Ouroborus who knew she was spying on Tucker.
"Be careful, angel eyes." He had cautioned her, his hand stroking her shoulder tenderly. "I don't know if I can lend a hand if things go to shit again."
Solaris sighed. She had often wondered who Edgar would side if given no choice, her or his family. Frankly she didn't want to know the answer to that question, and hoped that he would never have to make that decision.
'Why can't you just die, Tucker.' Solaris thought. 'It would make life so much damn easier for all of us.'
OoO
OoO
The Hoheheim Manor, Afternoon.
Today was it. The surgery.
Edward was sitting on the surgery table, prepped and ready. It was a little chilly in just his underwear, but he could ignore that small discomfort. Around him, he could see the various tools that were about to be used on him. The rather sharp looking blades left an uneasy feeling in his stomach as Ed was aware that Winry would have to cut away more flesh in order to make room for the ports. Speaking of said automail mechanic, Edward glanced in her direction.
Dressed in her usual jumpsuit, with added surgical gear on, Winry was currently looking over an illustrated model of his automail port. Ed could practically see her taking mental note of where to make the first incisions and how to go about the process. She and Patricia had just finished performing a pre-surgery physical examination on him. He might have imagined it, but he could have sworn Winry blushed when she was near his crotch area.
'Something on your mind, Doc?' He chuckled before looking at the determined expression that was currently ingrained on her face. Edward had faith that she was prepared for this, what surprised him the most was how prepared he was for what was going to happen.
As per Winry's instructions he had not eaten or drank anything for the last eight hours. He had also shaved any body hair near his right shoulder and left leg areas. But those were just some of the physical preparations, mentally he still felt pretty ready.
'Am I really that desperate to get this whole thing over with?" He pondered. Truth be told, he knew the significance of the procedure that was about to take place. Many things could go wrong, but if it went perfect then he would be even closer to fully walking again.
'I also got a lot of people waiting on me.' He thought, turning his head to look at the ceiling. Al, Envy, Izumi, Ling, Lyra, Scar, and even his father were all counting on him to get back on his feet. They trusted that he had the strength to do it, and Ed didn't feel like letting them down.
'Also can't disappoint her.' Ed turned to look at Winry. She had spent so many days and had put so much effort into making this work. As he watched her, a nagging thought appeared in his head. The same nagging thoughts that had been going through his head for the last several days.
'Damn it.' He thought.
Perhaps now wasn't the best time to ask, the surgery was going to begin in minutes and she needed to be focused. Yet if he didn't man-the-fuck-up and ask her now, Ed wasn't sure when another opportunity would present itself. Besides when had he ever followed rules before. Patricia would be back any second from her phone call upstairs, so he had to act fast.
'Here goes nothing.'
"Hey Doc, can I ask a personal question?" Ed pushed himself up on the chair. He was looking at the woman currently hunched over a sink, washing her hands.
Winry looked up from the sink with a raised eyebrow. "I suppose." She said cautiously, noticing the smirk forming on the edge of his mouth.
"How come you don't have a boyfriend?"
Winry's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. Immediately she could feel heat and redness flooding across her features. Usually a question like this wouldn't have caught Winry off guard like this, but perhaps it was because of who was asking it.
"I…I don't see why that's so important." Winry said quickly as she stepped away from the sink and dried her hands with a paper towel. As she did this, she turned away from him to try and save some face. It wouldn't be smart to get worked up before performing the surgery.
Ed grinned unfazed by her small retreat, showing off his perfectly white teeth. He could see the question had embarrassed her. "Yeah...maybe it isn't, but I can't help but wonder."
His teasing tone turned Winry's embarrassment into defensiveness. "Wonder about what?" She challenged, turning to face him with her hands on her hips.
She had taken his bait. "Oh, I'd have thought that a beautiful woman like you would have men practically throwing themselves at you." Ed pretended to examine his fingernails, but secretly watched her reaction.
The way the word beautiful left his mouth caused Winry to swallow, and a small shudder to travel up her lower back. Did he seriously just call her that?
'Pretty is one thing, but calling someone beautiful has an entirely different meaning.' Winry thought before, mentally slapped herself and focused back on Ed. Winry sighed in resignation before sitting down in a nearby chair. He was about to have one of the most, if not the most, important surgeries of his entire life. The least she could do for him was indulge his never ceasing immaturity a bit.
"Well since you're so curious, there have been quite a few men throwing themselves at me over the years. A few of them, I actually gave the time of day to." Winry said, tilting her chin up and folding her arms as she looked at Edward. She noted curiously that a muscle in his forehead seemed to twitch angrily at the words 'quite a few men'.
Deciding to give that more thought later, Winry continued. "But recently, as you might recall, the last few months of my life haven't really left much room for male accompaniment."
Ed nodded at her response, remembering Winry telling him of her grandma's passing and the issues with that gang on Farragut Street.
'Our first date.' Edward thought to himself. Damn, their talk in his office seemed so long ago. He still had an arm and a leg back then. She'd also been scared of him too. Time certainly does change many things.
Though her comment about other men did irritate him more than it honestly should have, Edward decided to continue on with his line of questioning.
"Fair enough. So does being an automail mechanic not leave much room for romantic getaways?" He asked, making sure to keep his signature grin bright and visible. Ed hoped that acting like this was any other conversation might help to not scare her away.
Winry shrugged, trying to act casual by rechecking to see if all of the instruments necessary for the surgery were accounted for. "Not usually, but I wasn't really looking for a relationship lately anyways."
"Ah yes, the prophesied automail shop that you plan to own one day." Edward chuckled. "So you sacrificed potential love for your ambitions."
Winry scoffed at Edward's word choice. "You are aware that I have control over how much anesthesia you recieve for this surgery."
Ed raised his one hand in surrender. "Hey I'm just making friendly conversation."
Winry rolled her eyes and stood back, intent on getting back to work. For a few minutes Ed watched her finish arranging the necessary tools on a tray next to his bed and other preparations. However his curiosity couldn't only be held back for so long. His hand played with the cloth he was lying on before he let it go and stared back at her.
'As they say, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.' Taking a deep breath, Edward decided to lay his cards on the table and put an end to weeks of beating around the bush.
"So…have you ever dated a patient?"
Winry had just finished connecting the face mask to a tube when his sudden question made her jump. Arching an eyebrow at his second interruption of her work, Winry turned to face him again.
"Why are you so interested in my love life, Edward?" She crossed her arms again. Winry was expecting to see that cocky grin of his when she turned. Instead Ed was giving her a smile.
'Christ he should smile more.' Winry thought to herself, nervously licking her dry lips. The smile only accentuated his already painfully handsome features.
"Why do you think, Doc?" Edward replied in a voice that was sinfully smooth. His golden eyes practically smoldered at her.
Winry stared back at him, meeting his gaze. It took a few seconds, but her eyes widened as the true intention behind his words sunk in.
'Ohhhhhh…...shit.' Winry thought dumbly before trying to compose herself. Though her heart was beating wildly as she started to speak.
"Well…something that my grandmother drilled into my head was that playing around with our patients is the first step to losing your automail license." Winry explained, suddenly feeling a bit too hot in her automail jumpsuit. Why was he so good at bringing out these reactions within her.
"And you always listened to your grandma?" Ed cocked his head slightly.
"If it involves automail, always." Winry answered bluntly.
"Oh." Ed let out, sounding genuinely disappointed. Before he could say anything else, Winry spoke up.
"But…." Winry started. She paused for a moment before pushing aside her lingering doubts and taking the next bold step. "People don't stay patients forever. My grandmother never had any rules about that."
Now, it was Ed's turn to let those words sink in.
"Not forever huh?" He ran his hand over his jaw thoughtfully.
Winry nodded and their eyes met for several silent seconds. Sharp gold stared into soft azure, saying more than words ever could. Neither of them could help the small smiles that appeared on their faces. However the moment was broken by Patricia returning to the surgery room. She was dressed appropriately in scrubs and a face mask. Upon seeing the two blondes staring at each other, she raised an eyebrow.
"Everything ready?" Patricia asked. Winry cleared her throat and spoke up.
"Yes, let's get this port surgery done. Ready Edward?" Winry turned to look at Edward who nodded and let out a nervous breath.
"Alright…let's do this."
OoO
OoO
Central, Late Afternoon:
"Sir, I have to say that I'm honored you would bring me along with you."
Fu glanced at the passenger in the seat next to him.
"Ling, how long have we known each other?" The older man asked.
"Eleven years, sir." Ling responded.
"And how long have you been dating my granddaughter?" Fu followed up with his dry and gruff voice.
"Four."
"Then you can stop calling me sir." Fu responded.
"Yes, sir." Ling responded with a small smirk.
Fu glanced to the side briefly before looking back at the road. He had asked Ling to accompany him on his mission from Van.
I want you to find out what Archer tried to tell me
"So are we tracking down Archer right now?" Ling asked. The young man was a little too excited for this. Though Fu tried not to judge him too harshly.
"No." He replied. "Archer's dead. We're looking for his underlings."
"How do we know he's dead?" Ling asked.
"If you've been in this world long enough, you get a sense for it." Fu said.
"Well what else do we know?"
"None of our eyes in Archer's operations know where he is and everyone else that worked with him are disappearing from the city." Fu said. "Some are turning up dead in apparent drug overdose or accidents. Others are leaving town. We're finding one that's currently on his way out."
"And see what he has to say about his dear old boss?"
"Precisely."
Ling nodded. So far he knew what their assignment was, but the details on why exactly they were doing this were a little murky. Ling usually didn't need too much information in order to get a job done, but something seemed to be bothering Fu about this particular one.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but why does Mr. Hohenheim give a shit about what happened to Frank Archer?"
"Archer has never been a troublemaker for us and the manner of his disappearance is concerning." Fu replied. "Him calling the manor signifies that there was something of importance that he needed to say. That followed by his vanishing and the sudden collapse of his entire operation leads us to believe that there is something concerning happening."
"Got it." Ling replied. There was silence for a few moments before Fu spoke again.
"Tell me about your sister?"
"What, Chang? Ling raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What else do you need to know? I told Greed everything."
"Yes, but what does her reappearance in your life mean to you?" Fu said. "Have you spoken with her?"
"Not really." Ling replied.
"Why not?"
"It's complicated."
"Most things in life seem complicated until you say it out loud." Fu countered. The younger man chewed his lower lip thoughtfully before sighing.
"I think it's got to do with our parents." Ling said. "My dad left my mom for May's mother, who by the way was less than half his age. I was already old enough to hate him for that, so I guess I never took to May either."
Fu arched an eyebrow. "There's more to it then that." It was a statement not a question.
Ling leaned back into his chair. "Well things got worse between me and my father. May got older and, in my father's eyes, she could do no wrong. She became the absolutely perfect fucking child and the new heir to his empire."
Fu nodded. He already knew almost all of Ling's earlier life, especially the events surrounding him leaving his family. "Have you thought about reaching out to her?"
Ling blanched. "I'll have to pass on that."
"It could be nice." Fu offered.
"Not going to happen." Ling countered stubbornly.
The older man gave a small smile. Ling's attitude reminded him much of himself at a younger age. Perhaps that was why he had taken the young Yao under his wing.
"Hey Fu?"
"What is it?" Fu asked.
Ling's fingers tapped on the handle of the car door before he swallowed. He breathed in and out before speaking.
"While we're on the subject of family connections, there's something I've been thinking about." He said quietly. "Well something that I want to do."
Fu said nothing as he waited for Ling to continue.
"I've wanted to do this for a long time, but I always felt that I should ask you first considering I owe you so much."
"Just spit it out boy." Fu said, eyeing the road in front of them.
"I'm going to ask Lan Fan to marry me and I want your blessing!" Ling shouted in a single breath.
Fu had no reaction other than glancing over at Ling. Ling just stared at the road ahead of him, face red from holding his breath. Seconds of nervous silence ticked by until Fu finally spoke.
"About time." The older man smiled.
OoO
OoO
He'd almost forgotten how much he hated waking up from anesthesia.
Edward's eyes slowly creaked open. His vision was blurry at first but after a few blinks, it began to clear up. Ed groaned and moved his head around to try and dispel the dizziness he felt.
'Damn drugs.' He thought. He'd closed his eyes as his head did a swirl and opened them again to survey his surroundings. He was in a different room than the surgery room, but it wasn't his own bed. No, he was somewhere else which was rather odd.
'Am I in...Winry's room?' He thought.
It made sense. The surgery took place in the basement and he doubted that the blonde would have allowed him to be carried up several flights of stairs. Winry's room was only down the hallway from where the surgery would take place. It would be safer to simply bring him there to rest.
Ed brought up his left arm to touch his right shoulder. The simple act of doing that sent aches all across his upper body as his sore muscles protested. His body was mostly numb but there was only so much the medicine could do. Edward groaned at the unpleasant sensation but kept feeling around for anything different. It felt like there was an added weight to his shoulder that had definitely not been there before. He could feel a similar weight around his left thigh. Eventually his searching fingers touched metal. 'Shit.' Edward thought as he glanced to the side to look at his shoulder.
There it was, the port. The device that Winry had been making for him over the last several weeks. The one that he'd seen her slowly piecing together.
"Good job Rockbell." He muttered in a raspy voice, his mind still a bit groggy. Damn, just saying her name stirred certain feelings within him. Suddenly Ed frowned. 'Before the surgery we were talking…She said something important.'
Edward reached into the foggy memories of his pre-surgery conversation with Winry. 'The hell were we talking about?' His left hand fisted the bed sheets in frustration. He had wanted to ask her something, find something out about her.
"Hey Doc, can I ask a personal question?"
Edward's eyes shot open and he let out a quiet groan before chuckling.
'Oh yeah, that's right.'
After several weeks of dicking around, he'd finally decided to confront whatever it was that was growing between him and Winry. Whenever he wanted something in the past, he did everything in his power to get it. Money, cars, drugs, expensive jackets, and especially beautiful women.
Before his accident, he used to hook up with a new woman every week or so. Often more than one a week. He usually never put too much thought into anything but the physical side of the deed. He was simply looking for a good fuck, and the girl involved was either looking for one too or some money. For his whole life, sex had been an easily accessible luxury. And that was what it had always been about, the sex.
Yet Winry was different. Sex hadn't crossed into his mind when thinking about her until recently. Only after the session where she gave him a wooden leg had he begun to truly desire her. He still blamed Envy's depraved words for that. Yet sex wasn't the only thing he wanted from her.
"People don't stay patients forever."
Edward grinned as the words replayed through his mind. It seemed as if she had given him her answer. In the beginning, Ed had thought that as soon as Winry was finished with his automail that she'd get as far away from his family as possible. Fortunately it seemed that she was also interested in pursuing something once this process was over.
"You are one lucky bastard." He murmured to himself with a chuckle.
Did he love her?…Maybe. In truth he hadn't given the big L word much thought. But his life was already complicated enough without crossing that bridge quite yet. For now he would just expand on their earlier conversation, let things play out and see what the future brought him. As more sensations returned to his post surgery body, another thought entered Edward's mind which had him sitting up.
'Wait, if I'm here then where is…' Ed's thoughts trailed off as he turned his head to the other side of the bed.
Winry was sitting in a chair right next to his bed. She looked like she had fallen asleep while waiting for him to wake up. She was slouched forward, her head resting back on a pillow that was wedged between herself and the backrest. Winry was dozing with her hand resting on the bed next to his.
Edward couldn't help but smile again at the sight. He'd been doing that a lot recently. It was the same smile that he and Winry had shared before Patricia had walked in. Ed noticed that she had taken her surgery outfit off and was in the clothes that she must have been wearing underneath.
'Wonder how long I was out?' He thought before looking up at her face.
There were slight bags forming under her eyes, making him wonder just how taxing the surgery had been on her. It was certainly taxing for him. Ed glanced down at her hand that was lying only a few inches from his side. Her fingers were outstretched towards him, almost searching for his touch. For a few seconds Ed simply sat there, studying her hand. Before he knew it, his own had moved by itself and gently took her smaller yet calloused hand in his.
Her skin felt warm and surprisingly smooth, the feeling reminding Ed of silk. From this distance her skin smelt like oil and apples, a peculiar yet delicious scent that he could only describe as Winry. He looked back up at her face and had the sudden urge to brush some of the hair that had fallen loose in front of her closed eyes behind her ear again. Unfortunately, he felt too sore to even attempt that so he settled with simply holding her hand.
However after a few moments, Ed couldn't help himself and lifted her hand towards him. It hurt to lean forward but he fought through it and placed a single kiss on her palm. No doubt she'd get embarrassed and bash him over the head if she caught him doing this. But for now Ed smiled and enjoyed the contact.
"Good job, Gearhead."
OoO
OoO
Outside Central:
"There it is."
Ling stopped the car. He looked out the front window to see a slightly rundown motel complex in front of them. He and Fu had driven almost two hours outside of the city. The younger man glanced over at the older one sitting in the passenger seat. Fu was making a quick observation of the parking lot and the level of traffic passing the motel. Once he was seemingly satisfied with his surroundings, the old man moved to get out of the car.
"Let's go in."
Ling jumped out of the car to follow. As he came up alongside Fu, he checked to see if the safety on his gun was switched off. Fu glanced down at his actions.
"Wait before using that." He said simply before turning back to the entrance to the building that had the manager's front desk in it. Ling took his hand off his gun and followed the other man.
A bell dinged as Fu opened the door. He made a quick observation of the room before focusing on the manager behind the desk. The manager was a middle aged man with a wife beater and a worn plaid jacket. The man looked up from his phone as the two men walked in. From their appearances he could tell that they weren't looking to rent a room for the night.
"How can I help you?" He asked, watching them cautiously.
"Richard Mattis." Fu said as he came to a stop in front of the desk. "We know that he is here in this motel."
"Can't say that I know that to be true." The manager said in return, standing up more straight. He was eyeing the two men with more scrutiny now.
"I do." Fu said back in his calm, deep voice. "Which room?"
"I'm not at liberty to say anything about our residents her-"
Tha man paused when Fu suddenly placed a large roll of cash on the front desk. He looked down at it and his eyes widened when he saw that the roll was filled with several one hundred dollar bills. He looked back up at Fu.
"The room number?" Fu asked again.
"Number eighteen." The manager answered as he quickly grabbed the money off the counter and into his pocket. "Hey...don't mess the place up or anything."
"Thank you." Fu said. "Don't react to anything you hear and if you call the police, property damage will be the least of your worries."
With that Fu walked out. Ling stayed for an extra second to stare down the manager before following.
"You may get your gun now." Fu told him.
"How come you tossed away all that money?" Ling asked. "Would have cost less to just scare the guy."
"We're far from Central." Fu dismissed his concerns. "The same liberties don't apply to us here. We have to be more inconspicuous when dealing with bystanders."
"How about with this Mattis guy?"
"That's up to him." Fu replied.
They stopped outside of the door. Fu walked up to it and pressed his ear against the wood.
"He's listening to TV." Fu replied as he stepped back to give his young partner room. "Kick it open."
"Can do." Ling said as he stepped back, pulling out his gun. With one powerful kick, he smashed the door open and moved in with his gun aimed in front of him. Fu moved in just as quickly with a weapon of his own out.
For a man on the run, Mattis was thoroughly and embarrassingly unprepared for their entrance.
"Shit!" The man startled out of bed, tripping over himself and falling to the ground.
"Fucking freeze." Ling leveled his gun at the fallen man. Fu lowered his own firearm and walked past the man to calmly pull the shades closed.
"I'm not moving! I'm not moving!" Mattis pleaded on the ground, his hands raised in the air.
"Get up." Fu drawled as he grabbed Mattis by the back of his collar and hauled him up. With a shove, Mattis was deposited into a chair. Ling kept his gun on him. Mattis looked nervously between the two men in front of him. Fu glared down at him. Suddenly, Mattis became slightly less nervous.
"Wait, you're not cops." Mattis said before paling significantly. "Oh shit, you're with the Hohenhiems!"
"Expecting someone else besides us?" Fu asked.
"I don't know." Mattis muttered. "The shit that goes down in that city, I didn't know what to expect."
"Why are you leaving so suddenly?" Fu asked.
Mattie was visibly sweating as he answered. "Because I didn't want to die, okay! What do you guys even want?"
Fu and Ling exchanged looks. Fu stepped forward and grabbed Mattis by the collar and pulled him forward. Their faces were only inches apart.
"Tell us everything about Archer before he died." Fu said.
"Alright…" Mattis responded, silently praying to every deity on earth that he would make it out of this alive. "Anything specific?"
"Everything." Fu repeated.
"Ok...ok….let me think." Mattis said, his hands rubbing together nervously. "Uhhhh….he went somewhere."
"Where?" Fu pressed, stepping closer to the man..
"Some meeting." Mattis answered.
"Who was there?"
Mattis was quiet for a few seconds, prompting Fu's frown to deepen. "Answer the question." He said coldly.
"I don't know! I don't know!" Mattis pleaded. "I heard about it through the grapevine. I…I just loaded the weapons off the trucks and put them in boxes. I'm a nobody!"
"Then do you know someone who might be able to tell us more?" Ling cut in, his arms folded sternly. "Someone with a higher paycheck perhaps."
The nervous man swallowed. "That's the thing. On the day of the meeting, Archer kicked everyone out of the warehouse except for his top guys."
"And where are those top guys right now?" Fu followed up. "We haven't been able to find them so we came looking for you ."
Mattis shook his head. "They're dead." He blurted out. "Everyone Archer trusted, anyone who could have named names, is dead!"
Fu and Ling shared another glance, a silent conversation passed between them as they absorbed this new information. Now they were finally getting somewhere. "And you thought that you were next?" Fu asked cautiously. Mattis' eyes looked between the two men before he opened his mouth to speak.
Suddenly, the windows exploded in a hail of gunfire.
"Shit!" Ling shouted as he dove to the ground, glass and blood flew in all directions across the room. Ling hit the bed and had his gun out, aimed at the window. He quickly pulled the trigger, firing blindly at the torn blinds.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gunfire from outside the windows stopped. The room was dead silent as time seemed to freeze. Suddenly there was the distinct sound of tires squealing and a vehicle quickly driving away. Ling was breathing heavily as he waited, his gun still pointed at the window. He was vaguely aware of blood trickling down his face. Some of the flying glass must have cut his cheek.
Steeling himself, Ling slowly pushed himself up and made his way over to the window. He stopped right next to it, braced up against the wall. He was still panting from the adrenaline. Ling peeked through the torn curtains, but didn't see anything outside. Just the empty parking lot.
"Don't see anything, Fu." He gasped out. Ling let out some air to calm himself and turned to face his companion. "What should we-"
Mattis was dead on the ground. Bullets had torn through his clothes and his body. His lower intestine was slowly dripping out through the shredded wounds.
Lying next to him was Fu, dead as well.
He'd been shot in the head.
OoO
OoO
Quick note: I went back and changed up Ed's introduction in the first 2 chapters. It's mostly the same but I felt that it should be more darker than what I had initially come up with. It doesn't change anything about the story but I think it sets up the mood and the character of Ed better.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I look forward to posting more.