Thank you all so much for reviewing! Now, I'm back! :D And, of course, I'm very sorry for lying about my return date- I said April 2nd because apparently, I can not read a calendar. My update schedule is still Tuesday/Friday. Thanks to YAJJ for pointing out the mistake to me ;(

To those of you who wanted to see pics of me as miniskirt Roy, I uploaded my con pics to ranowa-fanart-dump on tumblr. I've got one of me with a small Ed, Little Kuriboh, ProZD, and Vic Mignogna (the voice of Ed!). Look away!

And now- enjoy!

Somehow, Ed wasn't even very surprised when he ended up stuck back in the padded cell with the straitjacket.

He'd known the instant those pseudo nurses had grabbed at him that this was different than ever before. Ann and Susan, as much as he'd hated them, had still treated him like a patient; they'd never gotten openly angry with him or handled him rougher than he'd forced them too- but those people who had approached him and Roy with Justin had been another matter entirely.

They'd treated him like an unruly, misbehaving prisoner. Hadn't even bothered drugging him first, or even making the slightest attempt to pretend like the treatment was for his own good any longer.

It seemed, that in realizing he and Roy weren't treating this as a hospitalization but a prison, Justin had decided to stop pretending it was anything but the latter, too.

And to Roy, too; Roy had gotten the exact same treatment as him. Those men Justin had brought with him had been twice their size and apparently not spent the last few months of their lives being drugged and not much else; he and Roy had both been disabled in a matter of moments and forced back down this cursed hallway with barely a bruise for their efforts, so quickly it was pathetic.

The last thing Ed had seen before being shoved back into the nightmare cell was Roy, desperately trying to throw one last punch as he was pushed into his own.

He didn't know how long ago that had been. It could've been an hour. It could've been days.

Ed didn't fucking know, because he'd been left alone here ever since, fighting the straps on the jacket and frantically throwing himself at the locked door, shouting Roy's name as loud as he could get it out.

He hoped it was the soundproofing of the walls, that explained why he'd never once heard anything back.

He hoped it was that.

But Ed had kept himself ready and waiting, because that was exactly all he was capable of doing, and as panicked as he'd been when they'd thrown him in here- it wasn't as bad. Not like before. It wasn't. Because before, he'd been drugged, and shaken and terrified and humiliated because he'd known he'd been stuck in this white room because somebody believed he deserved it. That they'd looked down at him and thought pitiably that he was insane, and pushed him in this straitjacket and locked the door and thrown the key away because he'd deserved it-

But Justin wasn't trying to pretend that anymore.

He and Roy were fucking sane, and they'd been put in these tiny rooms to be stopped from breaking out. That was it. No other damn reason, and that- he could fight that.

That was a million times easier for Ed to face than the way it had been before.

So he did try and fight it. He pushed and fought against the straitjacket no matter how useless it was; he threw himself at the locked door no matter how useless that was, and he screamed Roy's name until he'd screamed himself hoarse and nothing but his own gasps answered him. He fought until he was too exhausted to anything but sit there gasping on the floor and even then kept his guard up, refusing to allow himself to focus on padded walls closing in around him or the straps digging into his arm or the oppressive silence that would give way to panic the second he let it.

He couldn't let himself realize any of that, because he could still fight his way out of here and back to Roy again.

He had to.

He- he just had to!

So Ed kept himself ready, forcing himself to ignore the reality of this room and this straitjacket- until the door finally opened, and Justin stepped straight back inside.

Ed was ready and waiting for him the instant the piece of shit appeared. He could hear other guards in the hall even if Justin was the only one in sight and knew making a break for it wasn't an option- not now, not yet- but he jerked himself up to sit as straight and dignified as he could against the far wall, balanced on his leg so he could lunge away at the slightest provocation and fist, even bound to his chest and useless, clenched. He was being held prisoner here, maybe, but was not a fucking lunatic or helpless hospital patient, and he was sure as hell not going to take this lying down like he was. He was done letting these people treat him like he was crazy or a pathetic child.

"Finally decided what you're doing to do with us, huh?" he spat viciously, squirming against the wall. "Or just got lonely and decided you wanted to chat, asshole?!" He squirmed again, fighting the restraints for freedom he already knew he wasn't going to get.

Justin sighed, massaging his at the bridge of his nose with two fingers, and looked so incredibly annoyed Ed found himself bracing for a blow.

But it didn't come, though he was pretty sure Justin wanted it to. The doctor, or whatever he really was, did not move to hit him; did not even advance on him. He just stood there in the doorway, a pained grimace etched into his face- the sort of look that said he thought Ed was miles below him, and that this display of defiance was worth no more to him than dirt on the bottom of his shoe.

It made Ed's blood boil, and the angry snarl on his face grew just a little more.

"You really ought to be more polite," Justin murmured sourly, voice heavy with annoyance. "You don't have all that much working for you right now, and if you keep on trying to annoy me, you're going to lose what very little favor you have."

"Oh, yeah, because I've got sooo much going for me now, don't I?! Yeah, I think I'll take my chances, asshole." He pulled even further away and squirmed in the restraints again, desperately fighting to yank his arm free to fight back. Even with everything taken into account, it still wasn't as bad, as humiliating, as the last time he'd been shoved in here- not now, that he had proof he wasn't fucking crazy. Not now, that he knew he didn't deserve this.

Not now that he knew what that so-called doctor really was.

Justin sighed again, pinching his forehead, and looked as if he really, really wanted to hit him.

But he didn't make a move- not yet. Ed was positive it was not yet. Instead, not-doctor psycho moved forward again, folding his arms in aggravation as he leaned against the opposite wall, frowning down at him as if he was an irritating bug just waiting to be squashed. "Let me blunt, here," he started, and with a great sigh, as if he'd been waiting for this opportunity for quite some time. "You obviously think you've figured out some of what's going on here. And, to be honest, I've been getting pretty tired of this charade for a while now, and don't really want to go through the effort of holding it up now- so, yes, Edward. You're right. None of this is legitimate. All of this is for my benefit. Any more questions, or can we move on now?"

"Yeah, that's fucking right none of this is legitimate, you son of a… um…"

Ed blinked, numb voice trailing off into nothing. He blinked again, staring up at the man in dawning disbelief.

Um… oh.

That was… unexpected…

"Well… uh…" he went on, blinking fuzzily again. He shifted in the annoyingly humiliating restraints, fighting to squirm himself into a more dignified position once again. "So- yeah. Good. Now we've got that straightened out- yeah, you- …so, you gonna let us go now, then?"

Justin smirked coldly. "No."

…

"B-but… you just said-"

"Yes, and I should think it's obvious I'm not really all that hung up on what you think about all of this, Edward. I know what I said. And now, I'm saying this: you're going to stay here, doing whatever I ask from you, and you're not going to cause any more trouble while you're doing it, because I think I've already proven that I can and will force your hand." He paused, eyeing the straitjacket and padded cell around them- then smiled coldly again. "If you do it well enough, Edward? Maybe I'll actually let you out of here when I'm done."

Ed glared hotly at him, pushing his foot against the floor again to start to worm himself upright, struggling to stand and not make a fool of himself at the same time. "You- you're the fucking insane one if you think I'm doing anything for you now! Do it yourself, you psycho, because I'm not going to! You can't fucking make me; threaten me all you like, it's not going to work! I won't do it, I won't, I won't!"

He wouldn't fucking do it now, and that was just the end of it. It was different than before; now, when everything had been confirmed, when he knew how wrong all of this was- he wouldn't do it now. Not now that he knew he and Roy were being held prisoner here and that none of this hospital was real. It was wrong, he knew it was wrong, he'd known it all along- and he'd been through far too much to back down now.

He wasn't.

He couldn't.

Once again, however, Justin didn't very surprised- or impressed- by the most stubborn stand Ed could put down from where he sat bound and helpless on the padded floor.

"Right," the not-doctor sighed, frowning at him darkly, almost dangerously- and definitely dismissively. He moved a few step forwards but did not drop down to be on his level, and the power differential from the fact he was being loomed over was obviously not an accident. "And, like I said before, I don't really want to waste my time trying to manipulate and force your hand this time. Let me put it this way: for every time you disobey me? I will cut off one of Roy's limbs." He paused for a moment, that same deadly, almost nasty smile from before, and when he leaned forward again, his eyes were all but ice cold. "We are in a hospital, you know. There is a whole lot that I can do to him, and still manage to keep him alive during. And I really have no patience left for either of you at this point, Edward, so if you ask me to prove my point, then I really would only be too willing."

And for the second time in the past two minutes, Ed was left speechless.

Once again, it wasn't for a good reason.

He stared up at the not-doctor, stunned into a horrified silence, mind thrown off its tracks and frozen into a stuttering halt. His stomach lurched threateningly with horror and nausea, and for several long moments, Ed felt as if he had forgotten how to even speak.

Or think.

And as the silence stretched on, it became abundantly clear that Justin was not joking.

He was… was actually… serious.

He was…

Black horror pressed into him again, and for a heart-stopping moment, all he could see, hear, smell, taste, was blood.

It took a monumental effort to wrench himself back under control again, fighting for breath and calm as he shook his head back and forth, desperately clinging to the closest thing to reality and sanity that he could find. "No-" he heard himself rasp, voice trembling, "no, that's-"

"I'm not kidding, Edward."

"No, you…" He shook his head again, a weak gasp driven from him in horror all over again, "no- hey, y-you- don't take me for a fucking idiot, okay?! I'm not stupid! I know you want the same things from Roy that you want from me! You didn't just take him to sit around and make me work for you! Fucking liar," he spat, but his voice was shaking, and suddenly half of him was grateful for the stupid straitjacket because it meant Justin couldn't see him trembling. "You won't do anything to him, because you need him. I-" he swallowed, fighting his voice back to steady again. "I know you do. I know you're lying to me."

Half calling his bluff, and half- not. Because Ed already knew he wouldn't risk it. He wouldn't even dare try and risk it. It was pathetic but he didn't even have to think about it to know if push came to shove, he'd give in long before Justin even got near Roy. He couldn't risk it, not something this- this horrible. But- it had to be a bluff, right? It didn't make any sense if not, that was all this was, just that asshole blustering about, but-

But he couldn't risk it.

He couldn't risk hurting Roy.

But Justin just let out another careless laugh, eying him again with such clear amusement it was chilling. "I need him?" he quoted, the words shaking with laughter, and suddenly Justin had approached him again, moving in reach and laughing at him again when Ed tried uselessly to jerk away, gasping and shaking. "Let me let you in on a little secret, Edward: Roy is useless to me. He is absolutely, positively useless."

"N- no!" Ed gasped, trying to argue but he could barely concentrate on the words, panic bursting inside him with every step Justin took closer to him. "I'm not stupid, I know you took him for a reason, I- I k-know you-"

"Yes, yes, Edward; in theory, I'd have both of you working for me, giving me what I want- but if I had to chose, I'd take you any day of the week. You're the better alchemist. You just are. Believe me, if I have to give up whatever little that dog would be able to give me to force your hand, it won't take me a second thought."

"That's bullshit," Ed shouted without a second thought, couldn't let himself have that second thought, because if he took one moment to second guess himself now he'd cave and it would all be over. He jerked backwards again, straining desperately against the restraints as his breaths started to come shorter and shorter; it felt like he was being squeezed in a giant hand that was just going to keep crushing tighter and tighter until it killed him. "Y-you've... you've gone through way too much effort for Roy to just give him up, just like that- I'm not stupid, you piece of s-shit, you-"

"I think you're underestimating just how much your cooperation is worth to me, Edward," he interrupted coldly, taking just another step forward, inching closer into little space that Ed had- the space that was rapidly being eradicated into nothing. "You're also underestimating just how much I dislike Roy. Do you realize how much I could do to him, if you decide your principles are more important than anything else, Edward?" And he was smiling, again, that cold, nasty smile that he was realizing more and more had been the only expression he'd ever seen from him, just always cloaked, disguised in a false warmth before now. Ed shot back, trying to squirm away, and Justin just laughed, shaking his head down at him like he was no more than an ant trying to run from the bottom of his boot. "I can take my time with Roy, Edward. You think I'm bluffing? I can just take a little finger- or maybe a toe. You think your principles are still more important than that? All right, then; we can work our way up to his hands. Although they'd hardly be a big loss by that point; I think after I've taken all his fingers, taking the hand as well would really just be insult to injury- but you get the point, don't you? And you'll be there the whole entire time, getting a front row seat, Edward. I'll be honest, now, I'm not a doctor- I don't have the slightest idea what I'm doing. It'll probably hurt a lot." He laughed quietly, dropping lithely down to his knees to still loom over his head, to still press in close and crowd him and leave him squirming uselessly into the corner as he continued to smile.

"You still protest all you can, even after that?" he went on, leaning closer again. "If you still fight me then? His arms and legs are big enough targets to be easy pickings, Edward. Or…" He trailed off for a moment, looking him over amusedly, and smirked again. "…Maybe just one of each?"

Ed's stomach dropped. The empty space for his right arm and left leg suddenly hurt- which didn't even make any sense, there was nothing even there to hurt, but- it did. It ached and stung, stomach tightening in horror, guilt piercing through him like a rusted blade, and no matter how far he pushed himself away, Justin was always right there, right in front of him, waiting- because there was nowhere to run.

Nothing he could do at all, except just let Justin have his way.

And it was very, very clear that that now included abusing Roy to get to him.

Sure, Justin could still have been bluffing. He imagined he was, on some level. By his own admission, the stupid asshole wasn't even a doctor. In a hospital or not, there was no way Roy could survive all of that, and a dead Roy (no no no Ed's mind rebelled, screaming at him in panic-laced anguish, no no no NO NO NO), no- a dead Roy was a useless Roy.

Which didn't matter in the slightest, because it was never going to get to that point.

He could not believe in this battle enough to fight it like this.

Not when Roy would be the one fighting it for him.

And losing.

I can't do that to him. I can't. I can't I can't I can't. If he gets hurt- he's all I have anymore, he's done everything for me here, I can't- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Roy, bastard, I-

I can't-

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

And Justin, again, just smirked.

"That's what I thought," he said quietly, and reached a hand forward to pat him on the top of the head.

Ed kicked away, gasping, wrenching his head out of reach, but with the straitjacket binding him so tightly he couldn't balance and ended up almost falling, panicking and a scream growing in his throat. No- no, no- "Stop it!" he shouted, face burning hot with something close to terror, "stop it, stop it!" but Justin only laughed.

"That's a good boy," he said, one hand grabbing him by the shoulder, yanking him still, and the other landing tightly on the top of his head again like he was just a fucking dog. He laughed like something was fucking funny, and he was just the only one in on the damn joke. "Remember, Edward- you're not like Roy. You're my good dog. You don't have to be afraid of me yet, because we've got nothing against you. We have no interest in hurting a child, after all."

"I'm not a fucking kid, you, you- get off of me! Get the hell off of me, you sick creep!" He tried kicking himself away again but the straitjacket bound him too securely to accomplish a single god damn thing and and Justin just kept his hand on his head and laughed at him. "Leave me alone, leave Roy alone, I- I'm not a kid, you stupid-"

"Edward. Edward. I just told you, the only reason we're not willing to subject you to the same treatment Roy's getting is because you're a child. It is really not in your best interest to throw a tantrum and try to convince me otherwise." He smirked again, ruffling his hair, then ruffling it harder when he shouted a protest, smiling at him and all that Ed wanted was him gone, gone, GONE.

He wanted him gone so much, that when that dammed hand finally withdrew, and Justin was back on his feet again with his back turned, he didn't realize what was going on until it was too late.

"Hey- hey! WAIT!" He pushed himself upwards, fighting his way to standing against the wall as the doctor- not-doctor- whatever the fuck he was walked off towards the door, just leaving him bound and trembling behind. "Hey, wait! I'll do it, I said I'll do it! Y-you- where are you-"

"Yes, of course you'll do it, Edward," the man said dispassionately, turning just as he reached the door to pin him with an amused stare. "There was never any question about that."

"So, t-then-" He yanked at the horrible, confining jacket, fighting for freedom that wasn't coming. "So then- let me go, I'll do whatever you want, so- where are you going?! Let me out! Let me out, you have to let me out of here!"

"Oh? I- have to?" Just at the door, now, right at the exit to the little padded cell, Justin stopped again, glancing back over his shoulder with that dark smile and glinting eyes. "No, Edward- no. I don't have to do a single thing for your sake, and in case you've forgotten, you're far from in charge here. You've agreed to work for me here? Great, I'm sure Roy will be very thrilled to hear it."

"Leave him out of this!"

"Things'll go much so easier for him because of it," he went on, continuing as if he hadn't said a single word, "and... that's it, Edward." He paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side as that same slick smile crawled across his features, twisting it into something cold, reeking with amusement, terrifying. "Your behavior affects Roy's treatment, and that's it. Regardless of what you do for me, Edward? You're staying right here."

There was another moment of stunned, impossible silence- and then, smile broadening to stretch across his entire face, Justin headed right out the door.

"Enjoy your new kennel, Edward!" he called, and the door to the padded cell swung shut behind him.

"I can't do it."

"Yes-" crunch "-you can."

"I can't," Roy repeated steadily, voice shaking, and was rewarded with the instant and unforgiving smash of the bloodied pliers against his hand.

"Yes," Justin snapped, "you can."

As far as Roy was concerned, Justin could say yes, you can all he liked, and he could pound bruise after blackening bruise into the back of his hand all he wanted to- that wouldn't change the fact that he couldn't.

The black array under his hands stayed absolutely, inscrutably dead, because he didn't know how to activate it.

He hadn't before, and he still didn't now. Because he'd never gotten around to asking Ed- and it was just as stupid and simple as that. He'd never managed to ask Ed how to do it, because they'd been planning on escaping that very night, and-

Well.

Here he was.

And he still couldn't do it.

Problem was, the fake doctor didn't believe him.

Roy really didn't know how long he'd been here for, pretty much just sitting here on his knees and proving his ineptitude over and over again. He couldn't remember- nothing that had happened today had made much sense to him. Which he supposed he shouldn't be surprised by, because it was very clear they weren't going to bother explaining things to him anymore.

Justin had showed up, unlocking the padded room after- well, he didn't know how long he'd been in there. A day, maybe? A little less? A little more? He had no clue. And the others with him- dressed like more nurses, but were most definitely not, because they'd had no trouble manhandling him to his feet and forcing him out the door after Justin. In fact, he was pretty sure the straitjacket had given him more freedom than those men had.

None of his questions had been answered, and while Roy would've liked to say he'd made a stand and refused to go or do anything with them until he'd been able to see Ed- well, his attempts to stand his ground had not been very impressive. He'd tried, yes.

They just hadn't let him even entertain the possibility of fighting all of them off.

Now, Roy was quite sure he had a black eye, in addition to the growing bruises on his swelling hand. He'd simply been forced back into the room with the array, forced down onto his knees before it, and told to make it work.

This time, he had been able to make a stand, and refuse.

That stand had lasted approximately three seconds, when Justin had informed him that the one to pay the consequences would not be him, but Ed.

Roy was not taking that chance.

Only problem?

He couldn't make it fucking work.

Just like last time, he was actually genuinely, sincerely trying. After how harshly those men had treated him, he had no interest in getting them to prove their threats with Ed, and just wanted to get this done in hopes of getting his questions answered, maybe even finding something out. Just like last time, he was seriously trying to make it work.

He just didn't know how.

They might as well have handed him a scalpel and told him to perform open heart surgery. With all the motivation in the world, with all of the sincerest of intentions, he just did not know fucking how.

It also probably didn't help that he was trying it with a throbbing head, after having spent all night trying to get out of a padded, locked room while tied up in a goddamn straitjacket, and- oh, yeah. Every time he failed, the punishment got taken out on his hand.

The back was angrily bruised and darkening by the minute, throbbing so hard he could feel his pulse beat in the wounds. Two of his fingernails were already gone, the fingertips left an ugly, bleeding, twisted purple that was almost alien to look at.

He was trying not to look at them.

"Use the goddamn circle," Justin hissed, pushing his hand down so hard he had to catch a cry of pain, his knees buckling and back spasming in a desperate attempt to keep the anguish silent. God, fucking god that hurt!

"I can't!" he cried when he could spit the words past clenched teeth, ducking his head to gasp and fight his expression back away from the pain. When he could at last speak steadily again he raised his eyes back to meet Justin's calm gaze, jaw clenched and arms shaking, hot blood slick between his fingertips. "I've told you, over and over, that I can't. You got some sort of problem with me? Because it r-really sounds as if you do."

Justin's smile broadened, and the cold pliers slammed steadily straight down on his hand again. "Yes, dog," he said simply. "I do."

Roy cried out again, half collapsing and hand seizing over the circle as his vision whited out, red hot pain screaming in his head, ow ow ow OW OW OW-

Some tiny sliver of his rational brain saw the circle sputter and burn, sparking angrily at him in uneven, jagged lines that spat an electrical shock right back at him. He cried out again, injured hand cradled against his chest, gasping for air past gritted teeth. His salamander array burned in his mind, sparking electrical blue and blinding him-

That's your array, Mr. Mustang-

"OW!" he shouted, his head and hand screaming at him in twin misery. He was too out of it to understand what had happened until his head hit the floor, the blow reverberating in his skull- and suddenly Justin there was above him again, and he wasn't the only one laughing this time, and ow, his hand hurt-

"Hey, everyone, look! The dog did a trick!"

Again, there was laughter in the background, and Roy blinked furiously to clear the searing red from his vision.

"And now he's trying another one- play dead, dog, play dead!"

Even more laughter in his ears, and Roy swore he felt something in his hand crunch.

It took a dizzy moment of dizzy silence for him to finally see the smirking not-doctor above him again, the man looking inordinately pleased at their current situation, and the nurses- guards- whatever still laughing behind him. "Fuck off," he gasped past clenched teeth, then gasped again when his hands, the bleeding, swelling one too, were grasped to pull him back upright.

"Well, it's official, isn't it? Dog's lying when he says he can't use the array- we all just saw him, didn't we?"

"I can't," Roy spat out, trembling on the cold floor, "I told you, I-"

"You just used the array," Justin interrupted, swinging around to stand in front of him, right in the damn impossible circle. Roy would've taken advantage to run, if those remaining men hadn't been waiting behind him, his head not still pounding from the blow they'd already give him.

"I- I don't know how, t-that- that was an ac-"

"You just proved that you could do it. But you won't, will you? You still insist you won't use it for me?" He laughed loudly, shaking his head, the sounds in perfect, horrific timing with the pulse throbbing in his hand. "Tsk, tsk… Edward will be so disappointed to hear his welfare was worth so little to you. After all…" He paused again, then, coldly, smirked. "He's already proven he'll do it for you."

His heart skipped an agonizing beat. His stomach clenched.

No. No, no, no.

Ed... had already done this for him?

Ed had...

No...

"Wait!" he gasped, trying to lunge forward, bloodied hand scrabbling desperately over the floor but to no avail. "Wait, no- it's not his fault, it's not his fault! Don't punish him! It's my fault, I-"

"We've already made it quite clear to both of you what happens if you fail. Edward heeded our warning. You didn't. I hardly see how this is unfair."

"Stop!" he cried again, heart hammering so fast it was getting hard to breathe, but this- he couldn't- no, no, he couldn't let this happen- "It's not his fault, don't hurt him, don't do this to him! I'm trying, I don't know why it won't work, but y-you- you can't do that to him, please, just take it out on me-"

They couldn't hurt Ed for this. They couldn't, oh, god, the couldn't. Oh, god…

Ed's already done it for you… he said Fullmetal's done it for your sake- why won't it work?! Why can't I make it work?! They're going to hurt him, you worthless idiot, MAKE IT WORK, MAKE IT WORK

He didn't realize he was slamming his bloodied hand down on the floor until he'd already been pulled away again, and was just hurling it down through the empty air.

It was those men behind him again, the same ones who'd hauled him from the padded cell, one at each elbow and in his current state, Roy just had no hope of pulling free. Justin was still standing in the useless circle, the circle he couldn't make work, the circle Ed was going to get hurt over, and the not-doctor just raised a hand in mocking farewell, that same cold smile he'd been treated to all fucking day firmly in place.

"Let's try again tomorrow," he called, and it still looked as if it was taking him a considerable amount of self control not to burst out laughing at him. "I'm sure Edward, especially, will be interested to know if you've changed your mind by then."

"STOP!" he howled, fighting past their arms, kicking and screaming. "Stop! Let me try again, I'll do it this time, I swear, please, please don't do this to him-"

And then the door was shut, blocking him from the man entirely, and he was still being forced down the hallway away from him.

He struggled and fought, feet slipping on the floor as he tried to pull away and throat hoarse from screaming by now but he just couldn't stop himself. They couldn't do this. They couldn't hurt Ed in his place. He was trying, he had no idea what he was doing but he'd hit the circle over and over again- but they just couldn't hurt Ed because he couldn't do it. He was trying! He was doing everything he could- oh, god, Ed had already done it for him, how could he not have managed it, how could not have saved Ed-

Roy barely felt the angry blows that rained down every time he nearly escaped or particularly annoyed his captors, pushing him back in line or re-securing his arms back in their grips. None of it mattered in the slightest. Because Ed was worse off than he was, and it was his fault, all of it was, oh, god, what had he done…?

You burned a country down, you burned Riza Hawkeye, you hurt Ed, you took his limbs from him-

YOU'RE STILL HURTING HIM, ROY!

HELP HIM, DAMN IT!

Roy barely felt it when he was finally hurled against another freezing wall, hitting his head hard enough to knock the wind out of him and the feeling out of his body. His legs went numb, vision whiting out once again. He only knew he was being moved again when the world tilted dangerously, spinning around him like he was a drunken sailor at sea; if it hadn't been for the hands on his arms, he would've hit the floor.

They were both saying things to him. It didn't sound nice, whatever it was, but he could barely hear the whispers over the roar in his own head.

Riza Hawkeye… Fullmetal…

Your fault… your fault…

It took him moments, maybe minutes, to fight his way back to sanity, if he'd ever been sane in the first place. When his vision finally cleared enough for him to see where he was, where he was being led to, drunken footstep after drunken footstep, it again took him a worryingly long time to realize what was wrong.

He balked again, trying to pull back; he was just yanked forward yet again, this time with a fist to his back "S-stop," he rasped, trembling harder. "This- this isn't where- where are you taking me?" This wasn't where he had come from. This was a different place. This was new. Why? Why, why?

They couldn't be taking him to see Ed, while they… hurt him…

Oh, god, no-

But the man on his left laughed again, hauling him still down the hallway. "Don't you dogs listen as well as you bite?" he mocked, fingers so tight around his elbow they were bruising. "Boss wants you as far away from from the kid as possible. We don't want you two trying to plan anything again."

As far away from Ed… they were taking him from Ed? Roy shook his head slowly, trying to orient himself as he was pulled off again. Something about their words stuck in his head and it took him a moment, again, to realize why.

Dogs…

Justin had talked the same way about him. Dog. At first it had just sounded like an insult- but there had to be something else in there, now. He was sure of it. They all kept saying it about him, with a knowing sort of air, like it was a cruel, inside joke…

It meant something. Something else that he didn't remember.

Something else that he had to know.

And something else that he had no way to figure out, because they would never tell him, and even as he tried to find the words to ask regardless, already prepared to get another blow to the skull as his answer, his numb feet tripped over themselves all over again and he lurched forward, slamming into a door and toppling to the floor inside, still dizzy, still shaking, still out of his mind. Everything in him hurt and was disoriented; even sitting on the floor he felt utterly lost, in pain and shaking- and once again, it took him far too long to realize the room he'd tripped into.

Once again, it took him far too long to realize what was wrong.

It was the room with the ice baths.

Some of them already filled up, restraining straps hanging empty around them, waiting, waiting for more unwilling patients, waiting to be used on them against their will. He recognized it, from the number of times he'd been forced in here before- ironically, this was probably the first time he'd been in here truly under his own free will, considering he'd tumbled head over heels through the door because he was too dizzy and disoriented to keep on his feet.

He still really did not want to be here.

Really.

The two men stood in the doorway still, staring down at him with varying levels of annoyance and outright anger. He'd never really looked at them before and couldn't help but stare now, shaking and frightened on the floor; both bigger than him, both undrugged and unbruised and twice as capable as he was, one pale and dark-haired, another dark-skinned and with red eyes.

Roy blinked, rubbing a badly shaking hand over his eyes to try and clear his head all over again. "Uh- I-" he stammered. He didn't know what he wanted more- to pull away from the waiting, pissed off men in the doorway, or throw himself as far away from this room as he could get.

Then his choice was made for him, when the dark-skinned one roughly shouldered his way into the room, moving straight for him.

"Hey!" Roy shouted, flailing backwards even as the hand shot out to grab him by the front of his shirt. "Hey, stop! Let me-"

"Shut up," the man growled, hauling him straight up off the ground even when he kicked and gasped, panic bursting in his chest when the floor was gone and his support was robbed and obliterated. He shoved, heart pounding, and this time his arms were hooked behind his back and he was shoved right back, forced to his knees, and one angry hand grabbed at the back of his head. "Shut up, dog," the man hissed at him again, and then thrust his head forward.

He screamed again.

Or, tried to.

The world ground to a blazing halt around his ears, searing in his mind and howling through his brain as he was plunged up to his neck in ice water and held down to drown. He kicked and screamed, instinct driving him like a wild animal, could hear voices above him, could feel his arms still being pinned and head held down, but nothing beyond the roar of water in his ears was real as he kicked and kicked and kicked and wanted out. He couldn't breathe, he kept trying over and over, instinct kept forcing screams from his mouth that did nothing but let water down his throat, his lungs burned, his body hurt-

Let me go! LET ME GO, LET ME GO!

He saw fireworks, or maybe not, maybe just fire, his fires, his world burning to the ground; he heard Riza Hawkeye screaming, he wanted to snap snap snap, he felt his bleeding, pounded fingers doing it over and over again. Another scream tore from his throat and the fingers at the back of his head pushed again, gripping his hair, there was someone laughing…

The stinging pain washed against him again, but gentler than before, receding as he started to waver. He tried kicking again, knowing he should, knowing he had to, it was all he could do- but he couldn't get his foot off the ground this time. It felt so heavy… he couldn't…

Couldn't think…

A sick black swam gently through his eyes, the water and the pain fading away. The world tilted, and he tilted with it, watching it all drift and drift and drift away. The pain went with it, and his blue… his blue was there… Roy reached, fingers shaking, soul searching…

When he opened his eyes next, the world pressed straight back into him like a punch to the face.

He was lying on his side on the floor, shivering and gasping, lungs burning as he coughed and coughed and coughed. He felt the water spill all over his face, entirety of his body throbbing like a giant bruise, and the shock of it all pressed into him so hard he almost forgot how to breathe.

It was nothing at all compared to the ice baths. It wasn't even in the same world as that. This had been suffocating and drowning all at once, and instead of a condescending nurse by his side it had been someone shoving him facefirst into the water, someone who had wanted to see him hurt. He'd thought it had been bad before- god-

"W-what… was that?" he rasped after many, many seconds of just coughing and shaking. It was a horribly stupid idea, and even stupider the moment his words attracted two angry glares down in his direction, but the rational part of his brain had been turned off long ago. "Y-you all said- wouldn't p-punish me- F-Fullmetal-" he spat, water dribbling down his chin, and god he wasn't complaining he'd take that a hundred times before Ed had to take it once, but that was what they'd said, and-

"You think we give a damn what he said?" the dark-skinned one snapped, the one who'd thrust him into the water. Roy blinked, black spots obscuring his vision again, and suddenly a hand was on his shirt again and lifting his throbbing bruise of a body up into the air. "We'll give you what you deserve, dog."

Roy shivered and coughed again, too weak to do anything but just turn his head to the side and let the water spill out. He felt like he was dying. "…y-you…"

"Shut up, Flame," the man snapped, and he was thrust underwater again.

Roy passed out long before they lifted him out again.