Story: It Is What It Is, Chapter 9
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA
Replies to Reviews:
heartbreakerninja said: And so the road of healing begins. Glad Ed's been outed. And by friends and not an enemy. It's gonna be a hard road from here. Wonder how Al is gonna take this...
It's certainly going to be a ways to recovery, but Edward will get there. Alphonse is a part that I already have a conversation exchange planned out. I can't wait to get there!
39KittyKatz009 said: Yay an update! I really liked the interactions between the three of them. I can totally see Ed wanting to keep Al in the dark about this. As for your concern about Roy not self-harming, if we go off of the '03 canon-verse, it is very possible that Roy could have been a self-harmer, especially since we are given the scene where he holds the gun to his head. It's very believable. I really liked this chapter and can't wait to see what you have planned for us next.
Also, I hope you are feeling better soon. Doctors can be very frustrating, I know.
I'm glad you liked the interactions and the chapter! I hope you'll stick with me. There are points that they don't come that natural to me(especially in THIS chapter), so I really worry about if people are going to like them or not. Yes, Edward does seem like he'd want to keep Alphonse from knowing the truth as long as possible, just as he often tries to keep other things to himself. And, in regards to Roy, thank you for the input. I was actually kind of thinking about his 2003 counterpart when writing it. It's almost impossible for me to write a story like this without thinking a little about the way 2003 delved into Roy's trauma and the darker side to his past, even if this is supposed to be a FMA:B fanfiction and based more off the manga storyline. Yes, doctors really suck sometimes. Dx
AEW Dragon said: Thanks for another great chapter! Keep up the great writing but give yourself the time you need as well. You're doing great!
I'm glad you once again enjoyed it! :D
As a note to everybody: I'll be going back into school tomorrow (well, actually today, because I should be asleep, as it's nearly 1 AM!), and will soon be starting a job, so the majority of my schedule will probably be wacked, especially if I start doing weekend hours, but I promise that I will try to keep this story going. :D
Sorry this chapter is so short again, I've just been going through a lot. D'x
By the way, I had some people compliment on the color of Edward's eyes in this. It may come off kind of... romantic, but that's not the intentions at all! People(including my mom and various others) have complimented my blue eyes so many times it's not even funny. Heck, I don't even like my eyes that much, but I LOVE the color of Edward's eyes, so I applied my own experience to him. Forgive me if it seems out of place. It's happened at the most random and inopportune moments for me as well.
...
"Are you Edward?"
At hearing a female's voice calling out his name, Edward, who'd been trying to sleep, looked over his shoulder to see a middle-aged woman standing there.
"Yeah, that's me." the blonde said, subconsciously a bit skeptical.
"Hi, Edward." The woman smiled. "My name is Sternin. I'm going to be your doctor for today. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, I guess." Edward sat up, figuring she was there to do some kind of check up.
"I'm going to check your blood pressure, heartbeat, and a couple other things if you're okay with that." Sternin told him.
"Alright." Edward said.
Additionally to checking his blood pressure and heartbeat, Sternin also listened to his lungs, having him do a couple breathing exercises.
After they were done, Sternin once again smiled. "Alright, everything seems normal. Are you currently on any medications?"
"No, and I don't want to take any either." Edward muttered.
"Be nice, Edward." Riza lightly scolded him.
"I'm just saying. Leave it up to the doctors and they'll put me on a whole ton of unnecessary medicines..." Edward reasoned. After that, he was asked things like his birthdate, any allergies he had, and a couple other questions, which Edward was able to answer with little to no issue.
Until it reached that undesirable topic that Edward didn't want to discuss. "So I hear you did quite the armwork there."
"Yeah, sorta..." Edward immediately grew tense.
"Want to tell me a little bit about that?" Sternin asked.
"No..." Edward said, his face heating up at how awkward he was feeling.
"Are you his parents?" Sternin looked to Roy and Riza.
Roy didn't bother hiding the truth.
"No, but we are in charge of him. I'm Colonel Roy Mustang, and this is my Lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye. Perhaps you've heard of us. We initially came here to Kreta undercover, and I had him come with us." He pulled out and flashed his proof.
"Oh, you're in the military? I had no idea. Forgive my lack of respect, sir." Sternin apologized.
"Don't apologize. It's a common mistake." Roy shook his head. This seemed to be a frequent reaction a lot of people gave when they found out Roy was in the military, if it wasn't the complete opposite response.
"So are... you in the military as well?" Sternin asked Edward.
"Yeah, I'm a major." Edward answered.
"Aren't you a little... young?" Sternin inquired a little uncertainly.
"Maybe..." Edward said, thinking about it. "But there's something I have to do, so I can't quit until I achieve my goal."
"Whatever this goal of yours is, it must be very important to you." Sternin noted.
"Yeah... If I don't complete it, I'll never be able to truly face my brother again..." Edward looked away, guilt present in his eyes.
"Has anybody ever told you that you have the prettiest eye color?" Sternin wanted to know, suddenly changing the subject. Maybe it was some attempt to distract Edward or lighten up the mood.
"H-huh?" Edward almost choked at the sudden question. It wasn't the first time somebody had complimented his eyes(in fact, his mom used to do it sometimes too), and even random people he had met at points, but it was no less awkward and embarrassing.
Furthermore, being called a feminine term like 'pretty' only caused him to become more flustered.
"He really does." Riza echoed, offering a small smile when she noticed the blush on his face.
"What are they? Gold?" Sternin wanted to know, scrutinizing his irises.
"Something like that. Anyway, can we talk about something else please?" Edward dismissed it in a fidgety manner, before Roy had that chance to start as well.
It wasn't like he even saw anything that spectacular about them to begin with anyway. After all, the homunculi had purple eyes.
Not that he particularly cared to think or talk about them.
"Of course. Do you have any questions for me?" Sternin wanted to know.
"Yeah, I was wondering what's going to happen...? Since I..." Edward started to ask, but couldn't bring himself to finish. And as it turns out, he didn't need to.
"You'll be coming back with us." Roy answered him, right as Sternin was about to speak.
Riza briefly glanced over at him, having thought for sure that Roy would have had plans to get him admitted, to which she wasn't even sure she would have been opposed to or not at this point.
After hearing Roy's stance, Sternin decidedly didn't get involved. If it had only been Edward, he would have been involuntarily admitted to a psychological institution without question, but if a Military Colonel was essentially ordering for Edward to leave, she knew that she couldn't get in the way of that.
(I'm not entirely sure how dictatorships work, but I imagine the Military has the ultimate say in most things, and I did this for the sake of convenience. Having Edward in a hospital hours away from his home would be a huge issue for me, even if it was only for a short while. And I do have other reasons I'm doing this, that are similar to my own personal experience.)
"Under normal circumstances, you would have been sent away without a second thought, so you're lucky that I'm here, kid." Roy told Edward.
Roy understood quite well that those kind of places didn't truly offer any helpful advice to unwilling patients anyway, and, personally, he didn't like them to begin with. For the time being, it was more important that Edward realize he had people who would support him, and find a reason to want recovery in the first place.
After all, Hughes probably would have also suggested the same thing.
If he had just signed over control to them, it would have basically been shirking off responsibility of the boy's welfare to somebody else; Roy refused to do that.
That wasn't to say that he didn't have plans to eventually admit Edward for psychological evaluation, but that certainly wasn't going to be today, and it would be something he and Edward would have to discuss at some other time. Besides, between him and Riza and even some of his other men if necessary, he was sure they could work something out for the time being.
Edward listened, but didn't say much of anything. He wouldn't have blamed Roy if he had, but it was no less of a relief to hear that he wasn't going to have to be stuck at an institution for possible weeks on end.
"Even so," Sternin decided to interject. "I would like to request that he be kept here for 48 hours for surveillance. Sorry, it's precautionary routine in cases like this."
"I fully understand. Do what you have to as a doctor." Roy offered a small smile.
Sternin started to return the gesture, before somebody knocked on the door.
"Come in." Sternin said.
The door opened and another man with a tray of food was standing there. "I have Edward Elric's tray. Can I give it to him?"
"Yes, please. I'm sure he's hungry by now." Sternin said, nodding.
As they were situating and the doctor and man began to leave, Riza turned to Roy.
"Colonel, do you want me to go to the cafeteria and pick up something for us to eat?" she asked.
"Yes, that would be appreciated." Roy said, before he started to reach into his pocket to grab his wallet. "Hold on, let me get the money."
"Don't." Riza placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can cover it, sir."
Roy's eyes widened a bit, taken aback, before he shook his head. "No, keep it. There's no way I could put that responsibility on you. I said that I would cover food expenses and I meant it."
"Well, if it's no trouble..." Riza said, uncertainly.
"Of course it's none. Here." Roy reassured, as he handed her a fair amount of cens.
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't mention it."
It was after Riza had left the room that Roy had noticed Edward playing with his food but not making an effort to eat it.
Edward usually had no issue eating, but when his stress levels reached their limits, he would sometimes loose his appetite.
He couldn't stop thinking about Alphonse and how he was sure to react after finding out the truth. Numerous possibilities kept playing through his head, spiraling his anxiety.
"Is something the matter?"
Edward slightly jumped at hearing him, before turning away, feeling a little bitter.
"It's nothing." he dismissed. Roy gave a saddened smile.
"You're not a very good liar, you know."
"I'm not lying..." Edward pouted, but he had found his resolve sink a bit as he recalled that Hughes had once told him the same thing as Roy had.
"I'm not going to judge you." Roy said in a voice that almost lacked it's usual harshness as he glanced away. Edward was taken aback by it.
Roy was genuinely trying to get him to open up to him. The boy didn't know what to think.
"Are you still planning to tell Al...?" Edward murmured, unable to face him.
"No, I'm not. You are." Roy said.
Of course, Edward's worries only increased at hearing that. Facing Alphonse himself was even scarier than the thought of Roy or Riza doing the talking.
But he knew it would only be selfish and petty of him to ask for them to face his problems for him. So he refused to do that.
"He's going to be so angry at me..." Edward muttered, barely above a whisper.
"Is that what you really think?" Roy inquired, taken aback at his cynicism.
Edward looked up at him, wondering what Roy had to say.
"Alphonse may be upset at first, it's true, but he cares about you, so he'll try to understand. That's just the type of person he is." Roy stated his thoughts.
However, it was evident on Edward's face that he still had his doubts.
Naturally, Roy didn't know Alphonse as well as Edward, but Alphonse had never once struck him as the type to get 'angry' over something like this. Alphonse, on the overall, had a more gentle and optimistic demeanor than himself or Riza, Edward no less. As such, he seemed like one who would try be more understanding than any of them.
Of course, Alphonse had once snapped at Edward for being reckless and nearly throwing away his life during their fight with Scar, and Roy had heard rumors about Edward's and Alphonse's argument over Alphonse's body, so that wasn't to say that the boy never had outbursts. However, Alphonse typically understood how to reason with Edward better than anybody.
"But let's say he does get upset. The lieutenant and I will be there for you. We're not going to just leave you like that." Roy assured him.
Edward didn't know what to think at hearing that, but looked away sadly. It would be childish and selfish of him to put so much reliance on them.
"No... This is something that is between me and Al. There's no need for you to get involved, Colonel."
"You're wrong, Ed. This is between all of us. And no matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it may be, we are going to work through all of this. Now eat." Roy told him.
After a moment, Edward surprisingly decided to listen to Roy for the time being, not pressing his true feelings further.
...
"You know, it's funny..."
"What is?"
Roy looked up at Riza, who was gazing at him with inquisitive eyes. He then gave a small saddened smirk, deep in thought as he looked back over at Edward, who was dead asleep on the stretcher. "I've never really wanted kids before, but when it pertains to him and his brother, a part of me doesn't mind the prospect of looking after them every now and then."
He turned back to meet Riza's eyes. "Is that strange?"
Had Edward been awake, there was no way Roy would have been so open with her in front of him, much less about such a topic, but since he wasn't, he felt a certain calmness with her that he couldn't explain.
And Riza felt the same. She couldn't deny the protective instinct that was developing within her pertaining to Edward and Alphonse as well.
Even though she wasn't trying to replace Trisha, a small part of her genuinely did want to be there for him all the same. And she didn't have any regrets for feeling that way.
She shook her head, offering a small smile of her own. "No, not at all."
...
A/N: I hope this chapter was good enough, and doesn't seem too rushed. I swear I tried! TwT
ALPHONSE SHOULD BE COMING BACK IN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, if not the next. I CAN'T WAIT. I have so much planned for Ed. There's gonna be some angst, and drama, but also some really good development. Ho boy.