Chapter twenty-six

Haha, I'm so screwed...

It was basically all Roy could think of as he went inside the flat, following his smiling Nan. She had lost faith in talking aloud after she lost her husband five years ago due to cancer. Without someone there to constantly talk to and a young couple next door with a newborn baby and thin walls, she had decided that it was safer to just go with signing so that she didn't risk bothering her neighbours. Besides, she found it stressful not to be able to tell if she was (what she called) annoyingly loud. Well, Roy had been able to speak Amestrian sign language, or ASL, fluently since six months after the explosion destroyed her hearing, so it wasn't an issue. And so the tiny, black-haired woman did as she always did: hugged him when he came and then grabbed his hand, dragging him with her to the kitchen area and sitting down in front of him, smiling brightly, before signing all the usual formalities to catch up while Maes was cutting up the apple pie and finding napkins.

"I hear you have a new case, I guess that's why you haven't had time to come visit me the last three weeks?" she asked, giving him a knowing look. Roy usually visited once a week, but when he was too busy with a case, he didn't have the time, and she knew that. As a matter of fact, she took great pride in that. Always used to tell her friends in the local deaf community about how her grandson was a real professional instead of those "young brats looking for thrills and doing none of the paperwork like crime-fighting is a way to get cheap thrills, leaving hard-working, HONEST individuals like my grandson to deal with their laziness!" and then she'd slap her hand on any available surface that was above hip-level at the time.

She also spent a lot of time hoarding newspaper clippings about Roy and placing them inside a scrapbook. Roy had never asked her why she did that, because she never showed it to anyone, and he had an idea about just why she did. And why she kept it on the nightstand. After all, the old woman had lost her son, daughter, daughter-in-law and her husband, so Roy had a feeling that it was to keep her family close. Roy had offered her to move in with him, but she wanted to stay in her flat, she had been living there for the past thirty years and didn't want to part with it. There was also the fact that her best friend lived right across the street and they used to play croquet and go bowling.

That particular part never stopped to amuse him. So what he had done five years ago was to start a savings account for one particular reason.

To make his old bedroom into a game room for his Nan. So when she had turned eighty six months ago, Roy had managed to save up enough to repaint his old room, move out the furniture, and put in a pool table and a dartboard, as well as having made a kind of unusual game consisting of a slightly tilted wooden board with small metal balls that you shoved with a stick, hoping that the twelve small balls would land into the holes scoring the highest points. There was just wood with small nails, holes, and numbers indicating points painted above them, and all you did was shove the balls with a stick to send them on their way, watching as they crashed into the nails and landed in the holes or at the bottom where they didn't get any points. There were also a few pockets made from nails that could contain a lot more balls, and it was honestly quite exciting to play. Roy had got the idea from a weird dream and drawn it up and spent a few years on getting it like it should be and he was pretty proud with the result.

Nan had loved it. She used to host tournaments even, bringing her friends over and write up the scores on a blackboard.

So now his deaf Nan was a master at a game with no name and she crushed him at pool and they were toe to toe when it came to darts after just six months.

Roy remembered sitting with his Pappy (although he never told anyone that he still thought of him as such when he was in public) as the old man lay dying in his bed, asking him for a word in private after kissing his wife. And so Roy had held his hands as his Pappy asked him to take care of his wife for him and give her a hell of an eightieth birthday.

Roy had smiled gently and suggested giving her a game room as a joke.

Pappy had instead chuckled weakly, called it "perfect", and then fallen asleep after saying "you're a good boy, Roy."

He hadn't woken up after that.

Which meant that there was also a shelf filled with pictures of Pappy on the wall inside the game room.

And it was why Roy always had to play an extra round of pool every time he came visiting.

"Roy, what's wrong? You're unusually distracted, dear," Nan suddenly said before taking his hand.

Roy gave her a weak smile, before spelling out "Pappy" with his free hand.

Fact was, Roy was thinking a lot about family at the moment, and once he began thinking about one part of it, his mind just started going on about the rest too.

Nan smiled warmly at him, some sadness in her eyes, before she stood up, walked over, and hugged him. Roy might be a grown man, but Nan was still adamant that the ways to comfort him didn't change whether he was eight or twenty-five.

So Roy just accepted it. Nan was stubborn as hell, so he would rather not get into an argument. Besides, she probably wanted it too, so he'd indulge her and so he just rested his chin on her shoulder.

The old lady really knew how to make him feel like a kid again.

Maes was of course taking a picture, his face softening. He knew exactly what Roy had said, he'd learnt ASL as well because the two of them had become best friends quickly after the hospital, so Maes had been highly interested in learning it himself because he had instantly taken to the Mustangs, becoming like a bit of a second grandson.

Nan pulled out of the hug and cupped his cheek, looking at his tired eyes, before signing "coffee" and walking over to the kitchen.

Roy couldn't help but chuckle.

Soon enough, they were eating apple pie and then came the moment of doom.

"You were just about to get a new Sergeant the last time you came, dear, how is that going?"

Don't blush, Roy, whatever you do, do not blush.

"Very well so far. She's a very good detective and I'm sure you'd find her to reach your standards."

"You're worried, Roy," she told him, obviously having read his face. Or at least some of it.

Roy sighed. "You remember Barry the Chopper? That case from two months ago about the man that killed his wife and attacked his stepsons?"

"Of course, Roy! Those poor boys had you worried for weeks! Has something happened to them?"

"Sergeant Hawkeye is their foster mother."

Nan's eyes widened. "So you've met them again? How are they doing?"

"Edward had his arm broken last week, so him and Al have been staying in the office and now they've got themselves caught up in the investigation."

Roy wasn't going to divulge anything other than that. He'd already told her more than he probably should.

"You'll find a way, dear. They'll be fine. You're in charge of the investigation after all," she said, some of her fierce pride returning.

"She's right, Roy! Ed and Al will be fine! And none of us will let any harm come to them, not me or you or Hawkeye!" Maes said. "So you just keep taking care of those boys together with Hawkeye and..." his eyes widened because Roy had obviously let something slip through his features, possibly by trying too hard not to do so. "Roy?"

Roy looked at him, trying to keep his face straight, knowing that he was definitely screwed and not even daring to look over at his Nan, because even if Maes had switched over to talking out loud by accident, Nan could read lips pretty well. "Yes, Maes?" Roy said, groaning inwardly.

"You like her, don't you?" Maes asked, a grin he SHOULD NOT HAVE beginning to form.

"She is a very good worker and partner, yes," Roy said, delaying the inevitable like an embarrassed teenager. He felt heat in his cheeks immediately after the word "partner" had escaped his lips.

Maes lit up with glee. "Oh, Roy, you're blushing even! That's so sweet!"

"Maes, stop it. It's completely out of the question," Roy said, trying to stop this before it got any worse, fixing his gaze on his own hands on the table and saw something that might just be his salvation. He had partially broken the top of one of his fingernails when he hit the steering wheel earlier. "I've got a broken nail, I'll be right back," Roy announced and walked off to the bathroom, still refusing to look at either of them. This was embarrassing as hell. This was the worst possible timing for any of this to happen. He needed to keep his head straight and focused on the case or Ed and Al might get hurt.

And so he locked the door behind him, found the nail clippers and fixed the broken one before looking himself in the mirror, noticing the slight redness to his cheeks and seriously began contemplating the merits of escaping out the bathroom window.

Bedtime that night was very different from how it had been before. Ed was still blushing hard at being helped in the bathroom, but as she was about to turn off the lamp in the ceiling after wishing them good night after they had put away their book and were tucked in under a duvet each, there came a nearly inaudible whisper from none other than Edward.

"Please stay."

Riza looked over at him. He was blushing and looking like he had obviously spoken without thinking.

And like he was about to deny ever having said anything of the sort.

Riza walked over and sat down at Al's feet as his bed was bigger than Ed's. Al immediately made room for her, letting her sit down by his thighs instead. There wasn't much space between the beds, so she could easily reach out and place a hand on a cheek each, her left on Ed's and her right on Al's.

She didn't need to ask what was wrong. They were scared and had been turned into possible targets for another killer just two months after witnessing their mother's death and nearly being killed by their stepfather. They had every right to be scared and then some.

She gently stroked their cheeks with her thumbs, smiling comfortingly at them. "Hey, boys, it's all right. You're safe here."

Ed looked up at her, seemingly torn between wanting to tell her to back off because he had to be a strong big brother, and wanting her to hug him.

So he just accepted the touch and her words with a grunt and closed his eyes.

Al, however, suddenly sat bolt upright and threw his arms around her waist, leaning into her shoulder as she quickly readjusted her grip to put her arm around him. "Please, Riza... Just... Could you stay with us tonight?" Al whispered. "Me and Brother can share, my bed's big enough for both of us."

Ed opened his eyes at that, sat up and looked over at Al, biting his lip. Then he stood up and quickly sat down on Riza's left side and leaned into it, and Riza instinctively put her free arm around him so that she was hugging both of them. Ed refused to look her in the eye as he sunk into her embrace.

Riza had a feeling that the boys had discussed this for the past hour, but Ed had only now decided that the prospect of being alone after everything that had happened was too daunting to ignore.

"Of course, boys. I can stay. Don't you worry," she said kindly. "How about we just push the beds together?"

She received simultaneous nods into her chest and she couldn't help but smile slightly.

And so she soon found herself not lying in the camp bed, but with it under her feet as they had decided it to be best to just do it that way instead because Al's bed was wide enough for Riza too to fit with the camp bed under her feet this way. So with the nightlight on and with Edward already asleep on her left shoulder, she found herself to be comfortable enough. After not having slept the night before, she already had trouble staying awake, so it wasn't going to be an issue.

Then Al smiled brightly at her as he returned from the bathroom, climbed up into bed next to her and pulled the duvet further up around them while Ed began snoring. Edward had had a long day, been emotionally distressed for most of the time and with the painkillers on top, he had been out like a light about a minute after his head hit her shoulder.

"Thank you, Riza," Al said, smiling at her as he snuggled up to her and rested his cheek on her shoulder.

Riza smiled back at him. "Of course, Alphonse."

Al's eyes were already drooping and they closed themselves soon, his mouth still smiling as he mumbled sleepily, "Love you," before his breathing evened out and he was clearly fully asleep.

Riza froze. Then she felt a tear run down her cheek.

Then she kissed both their heads. "Love you too, boys..." she whispered, feeling her chest tighten with fear and happiness at the same time. She wasn't going to fail them. Never.

Al's right hand found its way on top of her stomach as he hugged her in his sleep.

Riza found she didn't care much that her back was probably going to hurt tomorrow because she had to sleep with her bra on.