If the suit of amour could've sighed, he would have. Except he couldn't, and he was supposed to be singing. Maybe being in armor wasn't so bad…. no one could read your emotions… Though that was the only bonus. Otherwise, he wished his brother would just get their bodies back… Speaking of his brother, Al glanced over to where Ed stood in the wings, and frowned to himself. The colonel stood over his brother, speaking to him. Al didn't like the half-panicked look on Ed's face. Frankly, it made him want to storm off the stage and punch Mustang. Alas, he had to start singing, as Havoc was almost done about gossip and he was to rush onto the stage yelling "Damnable!" Which, it was.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Ed watched his brother sing, watched as Hughes burst in. Frowning slightly, he felt that there was something wrong with the way Hughes was acting, something… unHughes-like. Smiling, he watched as Winry stormed onstage, waving a scrap of paper, followed closely by Fury, who looked terrified. Shortly therefore, Hawkeye strode on, Armstrong behind her like a lost puppy almost. Leaning against one of the poles holding the curtain up, the short alchemist's eyes followed everyone running around helter-skelter. That is, until Roy's voice came again. Then he looked up to the rafters, a look of half-rapture and half-annoyance on his face.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Faraman was freaking. He could not find Ed and he needed to change costumes. Why, oh why, he thought bitterly, did he have to be assigned as the boy's dresser. Why? What had he ever done to deserve this?
Finally spotting the blonde as he watched, Faraman let out the breath he'd been holding. "There you are!"
Twitching, Ed looked back at him. "Oh no…"
Grabbing his arm, the soldier dragged Ed to the dressing room. Moments later, Roy passed where the alchemist had stood, looking for him. He was worried that there was something wrong with the boy, and he wanted to make sure he was all right. Alas, he was nowhere to be found. Frowning somewhat, he began to search the backstage, in hopes of finding Ed. Eventually he came to the dressing room, where Faraman was forcing Ed into the costume for 'Il Muto.' Ed was begging him to take the corset off, since he was supposed to look like a boy in this scene, but Faraman said that it would take to long to get him back in it. In the pit of his stomach, Roy felt a warmth coil as he watched the blonde fighting loudly with his follower. Something about Ed… something he couldn't place made him want to take the alchemist and never let him go, not for anything or anyone. The colonel smiled softly, and it was then Ed looked up to see him in the door. "What the hell are you doing here," he snapped ill naturedly, blushing. Damn colonel, always hanging around. "I thought I told you I was fine."
"You did, but I don't believe you."
"Maybe you should try it sometime."
"Fullmetal, listen to me, I need to know what's wrong."
"Why? Why do you care you damn colonel?"
"… I am your commanding officer Fullmetal, so I suggest you tell me what's bothering you."
Edward whirled on Roy, ignoring Faraman's cry of protest. "You want to know what's wrong with me? You really want to know?"
Nodding, Roy watched his face twist.
"Well, that's to bad, because I don't know what's wrong with me."
With that, Ed turned back to the mirror and ignored Roy. Crossing his arms, Roy leaned against the doorframe, and sighed as he watched the rest of Ed's dressing.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Damn colonel, Ed though as he was ushered out onto the stage to hide with Winry behind the bed curtain for "Il Muto." Beyond the curtain he could hear the fops singing about the lady and her new lover… Suddenly he was aware of Winry leaning in close to him. "Um… what are you doing?" he asked, his brain frazzled already from Roy and the play.
"Well," she whispered back. "We are supposed to be back here making love, aren't we?"
"We are?" Ed was clueless, and had, at the moment, forgotten half of the script.
Winry giggled at his expression. "Why yes, we are." And with those words, she suddenly was kissing him. A heartbeat later, the curtain around the bed was drawn aside so everyone else could see them. The expression of shock and surprise on Ed's face could not be more real. 1
He could literally see the shock and dismay rolling off his brother who stood in one of the fake boxes to watch the fake play. It made Ed feel horrible. Somehow, he always felt that Al would profess his love for Winry when he got his body back, for while Ed treasured her as a friend, it never was anything more. Besides, when they'd been little they'd fought over who would get her, and Al ha won that one (along with every other fight they ever had). And now… And now he was kissing Winry. But she just stood and sang her part, either not caring or oblivious to what she'd done to Al. Meanwhile, he could also see the shock on Roy's face, the fear? But what would Roy have to be afraid of?
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
It hurt. Why did it hurt? Why did seeing that girl kiss Ed hurt him so much?
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Ed jumped slightly at the sound of Roy's voice ringing out form the rafters, demanding as to why Box 5 was occupied. "Roy… The Phantom, he's here…" He whispered, knowing at least part of that was in the script, and savoring the taste of the name. Wait…
And then Winry continued to sing, and he realized how harsh her voice really was… how badly he'd disliked the kiss. Nothing in it had been wonderful or good, as he heard that real kisses where. And suddenly she let out a croak. Not remembering the script, he thought that was fitting almost. And then Hughes was there, and he was leading him up a staircase and onto the 'roof,' singing all the while.
Ed told Hughes of how he'd been there, and the voice… damn that voice. Hughes, purely as Raoul, responded that the Phantom was a fable, not real, and that he'd protect Ed, as Christine. Maybe even that he'd protect Ed.
Suddenly, Hughes was standing next to him, telling him not to speak of darkness, to forget these wide-eyed fears, saying that he was here and would protect him. Ed jerked back slightly. It wasn't like Hughes to be so close. So why was he? Why was he wrapping his arms around Ed and holding him? What was going on!
Enough was enough damnit! First, and always, there was Roy and his haunting voice, then Winry, WINRY, kissing him and now something was up with Hughes! It was just to much!
Before he started to sing, Ed pushed Hughes away. Yet he kept coming back, closer each time. At the one lull in the song, Ed hissed to Hughes, "What the hell are you doing?"
"Why chibi-san, we are supposed to be lovers, ne?"
Ed's eyes went wide upon hearing 'chibi-san' and fear engulfed him. "Env-" he gasped, but was interrupted when the other kissed him. For the second time that night, he found himself in a kiss that wasn't at al how he imagined kissing would be, and that was against his will.
Envy broke away, still wearing Hughes from, and grinning, pulled the short alchemist away, ditching the last few lines they were supposed to sing. Roy appeared on the angel sculpture, and sang his mournful lines of how Ed, as Christine, had betrayed him, and for some odd reason, Ed felt as if he had… But how could he have? He owned Mustang nothing, and now he was being pulled non-too gently away from the mourning colonel. Glancing back fearfully, Roy met his scared eyes and frowned, stopping his song for a second. And then Ed was tugged form the stage, through a sea of props, and into a shadowed corner where no one else trod.
"What are you going?" He demanded as the sin shoved him against a wall. "Where's the real Hughes?"
Laughing, Envy turned back into his preferred form. "He's safe… for the moment…"
"Why are you here, what are you doing?"
The sin laughed again. "Why, to play with you, chibi-san!"
"You can't kill me, I'm your human sacrifice…" Ed grasped at straws, remembering that was how he got out of Envy's grasp before. He didn't want to be labeled as a sacrifice, but he could deal with that, because he could find a way to defeat Envy and the others later, but right now, he was still in the dark. And he was so afraid, afraid because he did not want to die, here, in a dark corner, and with Roy so close…
"I didn't say I'd kill you, just to play."
And then suddenly a tongue of fire shot between Envy and Ed, and there was Roy, looking furious. "Where's Hughes?" he demanded. Ed felt his heart drop. Of course Roy would be more worried about Hughes then him… Hughes was his best, and maybe only, friend, and Ed was an annoyance.
Envy jumped away from Ed, grinning madly. "That's for me to know, and you to find!" The sin jumped back and into the rafters.
"Damn!" Roy cursed as the sin escaped. "Are you all right, Fullmetal?"
"I-I'm fine…" Ed gasped, feeling weak. Everything, everything today… it was just too much! And the play was only half over… "We need to find Hughes," Ed tried to push away form the wall, but fell back against it almost instantly, legs too weak to support him. Then, as abruptly as he'd appeared, Roy was next to him, helping him stand.
"Why did you get here so fast?" Ed asked, burring his head into Roy's arm, since he was too short to reach his shoulder. And damn what anyone had to say, he didn't care what Roy thought, he just wanted to feel someone warm and living and caring.
"I saw the fear in your eyes and followed you as quickly as I could."
"Oh…" He came for me! Ed's mind danced. Why does that make me so happy?
"Colonel!" Hawkeye came rushing up.
"What?" Roy asked, turning to face her, but letting Ed's head remain on him.
"We found Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes, Sir. He was gagged and tied in a broom cupboard."
Roy smiled in relief. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Yes Sir." Hawkeye strode back the way she came, not mentioning Edward's state or position attached to Roy.
Sighing shakily, Ed pushed himself away form the colonel. "Thank you," he whispered softly, almost to quietly for Roy to hear.
The colonel looked shocked. "Fullmetal is thanking me?"
"Shut up Roy, I'm being serious. I was so scared that no one would come and.. I was just so scared… "
"It's all right, Ed. Don't worry about it. Every things fine. And, we need to get you to Faraman so he can get you into your next costume, before he panics and goes crazy."
Ed laughed quietly, but he also growled. Briefly, Roy wondered how he managed to do that… Suddenly, Ed was sobbing into his arm, the whole nigh just crashing down on him. Silently, Roy held him. After a while, when Ed was not longer crying, Roy lead him to where Faraman was fretting and wringing his hands while waiting for his charge to come back.
The short alchemist was thankful that Roy left before Faraman forced him into the latest costume, as he didn't think he could handle him watching him anymore. He was also thankful he had come. Roy had come for him. Why did that make his heart leap and stomach flutter?
This ones shorter than the last one (a bit over 3 pages) but hey. The Winry thing was totally... unplanned... but hey, being mean to Ed is FUN! funfunfun... anyho... I'm not sure i like this chapter to much but... here it is anyway... next chapter: Intermission through right before past the point of no return probabaly
9/1- Ok, i've had four reviews in that many days... so...review peoples! It would make me SO happy... since i just started school today and stuff...plus it will get me to update a LOT faster...so review! pelase!