Jesus christ I did not expect this one to be so long! Honestly, I didn't! That's why I didn't post anything yesterday, I was working on this. By the way, it is a suggestion by the user Jane. Thanks for the suggestion! I really enjoyed writing it and it gave me an excuse to write in my OC's! Thank you! Now, onto the story!
Summary: Edward and Alphonse are sent to investigate the recent location where an ex-State Alchemist has been spotted. Unknown to them, he has a second person living with them. They run into her and give chase, where they meet up with the other criminal. In order to save Edward and Alphonse from getting their brains blown out, Roy jumps in the way of an oncoming bullet.
Idea came from: Jane, who suggested it
Timeline: Roy is still in Eastern Command, Edward is 15 while Alphonse is: You guessed it! 14
Warnings: none
Rated: T for blood
Note: A/N at end, review answers at end, this is 19.4 pages (according to Quotev) (sorry it's so long!)
Story 8: I'd Take A Bullet Anyday
"There is a deadly criminal running the streets of East City," Roy begins as he sits at his desk, fingers interlocked and resting on his desk. Edward and Alphonse are both sitting on the black couch in the room while Riza stands on the other side of the room beside the closed door. The rest of team Mustang is in the outer office, doing paperwork.
"Isn't it Hughes's job to catch criminals?" Edward asks, crossing his legs at the knee. He is leaning back against the couch, arms spread out while Alphonse sits beside him, hands resting in his lap as his leg lightly bounces with anticipation. It is rare that Mustang would call Alphonse on a mission as well, seeing as he isn't a State Alchemist and all. Not that that wouldn't stop him from going on missions with his brother anyways.
"Yes, normally it would be. But this time is different." Roy says, leaning back. He crosses his arms and lets out a breath of air through his nose, looking at Edward. "This guy is an ex-State Alchemist, formerly known as the "Bullet Splitting Alchemist". Now he roams the streets, killing any soldier in sight, State Alchemist or not. He goes by the name Sharpshot now."
"That's...unique," Edward mumbles with sarcasm.
"Lieutenant," Roy says as he picks up a file.
"Yes, sir?" Hawkeye asks, making her way swiftly over to Roy's desk. He hands her the files and, without even needing to order her, she hands the file over to the elder Elric brother and steps back, hands straight at her sides.
Edward opens the file, leaning forwards. Alphonse leans over as well, their eyes quickly scanning through the page. Their brains act like sponges, soaking in each and every important word. Roy can't help but feel pride for them at times with how well they can gather information. Though, he would never admit it to himself.
"It says that his specialty is creating guns out of metals and bullets out of lead." Edward reads out, glancing up at Roy to make sure it's accurate. Roy only nods and Ed looks back down. "The bullets shatter upon impact?"
"That's correct." Roy says, nodding. "When the bullet enters the body, the lead shatters into tiny little pieces that spread throughout a certain radius within the main entry point. It is said to kill its victims very slowly and painfully."
"If they survive they will eventually die from lead poisoning," Edward finishes, leaning back. "Great. Another trigger happy moron."
Riza sends Edward a sharp glare, causing the teen to shrink away while Alphonse takes the file to try and find anything they had possibly missed. If possible.
"I was talking about Havoc," Edward mumbles under his breath, looking away from Hawkeye.
"Why was he fired?" Alphonse asks, looking up from the page with a puzzled frown.
"He apparently turned on our own during a mission out further East in a smaller town called Durnatel. A place where Ishvalan refugees had managed to settle down in," Roy answers, looking to Alphonse. "They were supposed to arrest him, but he managed to escape, killing ten soldiers in total. This was five years ago."
"Now that you mention when it happened, sir," Riza pipes up, looking to Roy who nods for her to continue. "If I recall correctly, this happened just a year after Edward became a state alchemist."
"Could he have gotten jealous and lost it?" Edward asks, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I would be pretty annoyed if a kid joined the military as well."
"I don't think so. He wouldn't have known about you two, seeing as you were still training with your teacher by then." Roy says as he stands up. He walks around his desk and stands in front of it, hands held behind his back. "He's started lashing out at civilians now. Local reports say that he has started three bar fights, putting two men in hospitals and one six feet under. He has also killed three women and two children, followed by another three of our soldiers."
"Why is the military all of a sudden so worried about this guy now?" Alphonse asks, looking up. "If I may ask, sir."
"It's because he's been quiet for the past four years." Roy answers, looking to Alphonse. "He's only attacked a few major cities to give himself a name, his first attack being a small seaside town in the country of Donbachi. He's completely fallen off the grid this past year, going country to country, only now resurfacing here. Not even Hughes can pin-point a recurring pattern."
"And you want us to chase down this psychopath serial killer and catch him?" Edward asks, uncrossing his legs.
"Yes."
"You know, I have better things to do. Like, I don't know, hunting down the Philosopher's Stone?" Edward replies as he stands up. "Let's go Al, we don't have time to deal with this."
"But-" Al stutters as Edward grabs his wrist, pulling him up to stand. Al drops the case file on the couch.
"I'd rethink your decision, Fullmetal." Roy quickly says as the teen turns and walks towards the door. "I've received a mission that has reports of a red stone."
Edward stops and turns around slowly, narrowing his eyes at Roy. "How do I know you're not lying?"
Roy picks up a case file, smirking. "You hunt down Sharpshot now and I'll let you go on this mission next."
Edward is silent for a long time. He lets go of Al's wrist and crosses his arms, glaring down at the floor as he thinks over his options. 'This mission is dangerous...though when is it not dangerous? Besides, I get a lead out of the deal.' "Fine," Edward finally grumbles. "We'll do it, but if anything happens to either of us you're paying for it!"
Roy only smirks, placing the other case file down on his desk. "Good. Now, the last sighting of this guy was when he attacked a group of soldiers, killing the three recent soldiers. Hughes is headed down here to help with this case as well. I suggest you snap to it Fullmetal, before you get swept away by the five o' clock traffic."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THEY COULD BE SQUISHED BY A CHIHUAHUA!?
Edward and Alphonse both stand in front of a three story building towards the poor part of town. There are only a few people on the streets, none of them alone in fear of something happening to them. It isn't uncommon for criminals to act out in the more poor places of cities, seeing as they are less likely to get caught.
"This is the last place he was seen?" Al asks sounding unsure as his eyes travel up the building wall. The two metal doors are rusted, and the once white walls are stained yellow and brown. The windows are cracked, a few of them completely broken and the corners of the building is starting to chip off. There is a worn out sign at the top of the building reading out "John's Hotel and Diner".
"That's what Colonel Bastard said," Ed replies, gripping his chin with his hand as he studies the building. "Why would he be here?" He whispers to himself as he walks forwards, looking in the the window. Al watches as his brother investigates. "Unless it would be his hideout...if that's the case he would already be long gone, seeing as he would probably know...so then does he have another goal in mind?"
"Maybe he tried to lure military personnel here," Al speaks up, walking to stand over beside his brother. "He left a killing trail to here, and I'm guessing he let people see him here on purpose. No one as skilled as him could accidentally let someone see him and his location."
"Maybe," Ed replies, sighing. "Damn, why does he treat us like we have all the time in the world to do this kind of thing? He makes us do his dirty work!"
"Brother, quiet." Al scolds, moving towards the doors. "If he's still here he probably isn't expecting us so soon."
"Whatever." Edward grumbles, following his brother. Al turns the handle and pushes the door open, which is somewhat difficult, seeing as the hinges are rusted over. The door makes a horrid screeching sound as the door is pushed open, almost as if it's pleading to be put out of its misery.
The inside of the building has tables and chairs turned over, broken glass strewn across the floor. There are a few bullet holes in the walls and reception desk, the railing on the stairs half gone. It is dark, the lights no longer in working condition. The air smells strongly of mold and staleness.
"It seems that these people left in a hurry" Ed comments as the two brothers make their way further into the building. "Let's split up, you take the dinning room and I'll take the kitchen. Meet up at the stairs if you don't find anything."
"Be careful," Al says as the brothers part ways.
Edward carefully pushes the kitchen door open, the hinge less rusted than the main entrance. There are more bullet holes, the sink filled with forgotten dirty dishes. The walls are chipping and the tile floor is rotting, half of it missing from bugs eating it away. The countertop is chipping away, and there is red graffiti here and there.
"How immature can you get?" Edward mutters under his breath as he makes his way to the refrigerated room, stepping around a metal spoon as he does so.
The refrigerated room is no longer cold, harboring foul smells of rotten meat and old milk that twists Ed's stomach with disgust. He quickly shuts the door and takes a deep breath, coughing and taking a step back as the stale air invades his lungs.
Before he realizes what is happening, Al bursts into the kitchen, eyes full of fear as he spots his brother.
"Al-?"
"Get down!" Al cries as he sprints forwards towards his brother. He quickly tackles him to the rotting floor, just as a gunshot rings out through the otherwise silent room.
"Sir? Is something the matter?" Hawkeye asks, having noticed the somewhat unsure look in Roy's black eyes.
"It's something about this whole case," he says quietly, tapping his chin with his index finger. "We haven't heard anything from this guy ever since he killed those soldiers two nights ago. In the same location Fullmetal and his brother went."
"I'm sorry, I don't follow."
"Those soldiers were reported missing after they chased a smaller person into the building." Roy explains, staring down at his desk. "Eye witnesses sat that the soldiers who were doing their rounds caught a younger girl trying to steal bread. When they confronted her she ran, leading the men to that building. The same place where Sharpshot was last seen."
"What are you saying, sir?"
Roy's eyes suddenly widen as a sharp squeeze of fear grips his heart with icy fingers. "It means that Sharpshot isn't working alone. He has someone else with him. Which also means..."
"The Elric's are in trouble."
"What the hell!?" Edward shouts as Al quickly rolls off of him. The two brothers crouch behind a counter, their backs pressed up against the closed doors of the cupboards.
"Sharpshot isn't working alone," Al says, panting. They can hear the quiet sound of shoes clicking against soggy tiles.
"Yeah, I've noticed."
"I found a regular pistol near the stairs after I couldn't find anything. It looked empty so I guessed that it belonged to one of the soldiers. But then I saw the initials R.M. Sharpshot's last name is Machis so I'm guessing the gun belongs to someone related to him."
"Nice attention to detail Al, but next time maybe find it a little quicker?" Ed mumbles as he claps, transmuting the plate of his automail arm into his trademark blade. "How did you know they were in here?"
"I saw from the window, the person was crouched in the shadows. They took action after you backed away from the refrigerated room." Al explains.
"Well, let's take this person out and then go after Sharpshot, if he's even here anymore."
The two brothers quickly stand, Al creating a sword from the metal around him. Seeing as the metal is old and weak, the sword isn't that great, but he decides it will be enough for now.
"You're going down!" Edward shouts, pointing to the person on the opposite side of the room. He stops, eyes widening when he sees a girl in her very early teens with wild red hair and cold black eyes, a few freckles here and there on her cheeks. She is wearing a green cloak with black gloves and short shorts, as well as a white tank top.
"A girl?" Ed asks, eyes slightly widening. Al only shakes his head at his brother's surprise, though, in his defense, they haven't really fought any girls.
"Got a problem with me?" She snaps, voice cold and sounding slightly angry. She quickly raises her gun, aiming at Ed's chest.
"Brother!" Al shouts as he grabs the red sleeve of Ed's cloak and pulls him down just as the girl pulls the trigger. The bullet is just inches away from taking off Ed's antenna.
"Too close!" Ed exclaims as he reaches up and touches his antenna. "Thanks for the save Al."
"Brother, you need to pay attention." Al sighs, shaking his head. "What do we do about her? I doubt she'll let us get close, she's pretty good for her young age."
"You don't have to try."
The boys quickly look up to see her crouching on the counter, two guns held in her hands, one in each. One is aimed at Ed's head while the other is aimed at Al's chest.
"What the hell!?" Ed exclaims as the two brothers quickly roll out of the way of the bullets, barely dodging each time. The girl manages to keep perfect balance, crouched on the counter as she twists to try and shoot them. Her focus is mainly on Edward, twisting so her back is facing Al.
Al takes this opportunity and quickly lunges forward, aiming to cut the girl's back. She quickly responds by turning around and aiming her two guns at Al, one at his head and the other at his leg.
"Al!" Ed cries, eyes widening as a rush of adrenaline shoots through his bloodstream. Faster than lightning, Ed claps his hands as he drops to his knees. He slams his hands against the floor and watches as a wall rises up from the floor, the bullets lodged deeply in them as the girl shoots seconds later.
"Al! You okay?" Ed shouts as he quickly stands, the girl growling in annoyance.
"I'm fine!" Al calls from the other side of the wall. Ed lets out a sigh of relief, which is short lived as the girl turns and rapidly shoots at Ed, one after the other.
"What's your problem!?" Ed shouts over the gunfire as he jumps and twists and blocks the bullets. Soon Al has joined the fight again, trying to attack from behind. Each time the girl quickly shoots, causing Al to quickly drop in order to not get hit.
"I am doing as my father asks!" She shouts back, eyes narrowing as Ed tries to run forwards. She aims for his leg and shoots, the bullet ricocheting off the metal. She gasps, eyes wide as Ed shoots forwards. "What!?"
Ed quickly punches her in the face, sending her falling to the floor. Al quickly throws a kick to her stomach when she rolls over and Ed quickly jumps down from the counter, landing above her. Al quickly pries the guns from her hands as she squirms, trying to kick out and hit them.
"Now, tell us what your father ordered you to do!" Ed shouts, holding the girl's arms down. Her cheek is already swelling where Ed had punched her with his automail fist.
"Why should I?" She asks defiantly, glaring at Ed.
"Don't test me! Tell me why you tried to kill us!"
"Brother, calm down!" Al exclaims, placing a hand on Ed's shoulder. "All that matters is that we have her. We can get Lieutenant Colonel Hughes to interrogate her."
"Think again!" She shouts, her back arching from the floor. She rotates her hand in a way so that her palm presses against the cold floor, causing spikes to shoot up.
"The hell!?" Ed shouts as he quickly jumps back, Al doing the same. The girl then punches Ed in the face and kicks Al in the stomach, sending both brothers stumbling back. She grabs one of her guns and shoots blindly before darting out of the kitchen.
"Damn!" Ed curses, holding his cheek. He looks over to Al who is slightly doubled over, coughing as he grips his stomach. "You okay Al?"
"I'm fine, go after her!" Al shouts as he straightens up with a wince. Both brothers are out of the kitchen and chancing after the girl in a matter of seconds. She is a little way away down the street, though not too far.
"I didn't notice the circles on her gloves!" Ed shouts as the two dodge past people on the streets. The girl only pushes through them, earning angry shouting and curses as she runs.
"Me either." Al replies as the girl turns a corner, the brothers soon following after. As they turn the corner they see the girl run straight through a group of onlookers, a few falling with angry shouts.
"Hey! Fullmetal!" Someone shouts, causing the boys to look over their shoulder. Both Roy and Hawkeye are running after them a few feet away, Hawkeye holding a pistol in one hand while Roy has his ignition gloves on.
"Colonel! Lieutenant!" Ed calls back as the two adults quickly catch up with the two Elric's.
"What's going on? We saw you two chasing after a girl." Roy says as they dodge another group of people. They have slowly gotten closer to the girl who seems desperate to get away now. She tips over tables and chairs, which the group easily dodge around.
"Sharpshot is working with a girl," Alphonse before Ed gets a chance to shout about it. Much to Al's annoyance, Edward complains anyways.
"Thanks for letting is know about the second person!" Ed shouts sarcastically, glaring at Roy.
"We didn't know!" Roy snaps back, glaring at the teen. "At least, not until you two had already left! That's why we're here, we came to try and warn you. It seems like you figured it out on your own, well done Fullmetal."
The group abruptly stop when the girl stops in an intersection. Cars swerve to not hit her. They all watch as a man jumps down from the roof of a building, a strange looking shotgun strapped over his shoulder. He is wearing black pants and a black hoodie, the shotgun is black and bulky.
"That's him!" Ed exclaims as he starts to run forwards.
"Brother! Wait!" Al shouts as he chances after his brother. That's when Roy sees the girl lift up her gun, aiming directly at Ed's head while the man only watches, his gray blue eyes watching expressionlessly.
"Stop!" Roy shouts as he bolts forwards, Hawkeye watching with mute horror at the scene. She is unable to make herself move, unable to call out.
Roy reaches out and pulls back the two boys by the backs of their shirts, sending them falling to the ground. And then a shot rings out, everything going still. Birds fly up into the sky in fear that they were next while people standing by all scream and run to try and find places to hide.
"What did you do that for?!" Ed shouts as he stands, Roy's back facing them, his arms limply at his sides. In front of them the two turn and run, escaping through an alleyway. "We could have taken them on! Now they're getting away!"
"Colonel!" Hawkeye manages to scream, dropping her gun as she does so. Ed watches with confusion as Hawkeye runs up behind Roy, catching him as the Flame Alchemist slowly falls backwards.
"Oh God..." Ed breathes out, horror stabbing at his stomach like a cold dagger as he sees the scarlet red spreading across Roy's chest, soaking into the blue and white of his military uniform. Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth, eyes shut in a grimace of pain.
"Colonel!" Riza cries, pressing her hands weakly against his chest. The blood instantly seeps through her shaking fingers which only seems to add to her hysteria.
Edward watches, frozen to the spot as the blood slowly starts creating a sticky mess on the road. Alphonse looks on the verge of tears, his hands shaking as he tries to figure out what to do.
"You stupid idiot!" Ed shouts as he drops to his knees, gritting his teeth. He practically rips off his cloak and presses it against Roy's chest, the blood just slightly a different color. He, along with Al, press their hands firmly against the wound to try and staunch the blood flow.
"Why did you do it Colonel?" Al asks, voice shaking as he looks to Roy's paling face. Al's white shirt is covered in blood, which seems to disappear when it touches his own red cloak.
"To k-keep you boys a-alive," Roy chokes out, his words sounding wet with blood.
"Damn it! Someone call an ambulance!" Riza manages to shout, looking up with wild desperation in her eyes. "Please!"
"You should have let me take the hit!" Ed shouts, his body shaking with adrenaline as he presses down against Roy's chest. The blood seems to blend in again his dark clothes. "You idiot bastard!"
"Nice to see...that you care so much." Roy mumbles, eyelids slipping closed. Another trail of blood slips down the corner of his mouth.
"Colonel? Sir? Roy! Open your eyes!" Riza cries, tears slipping down her face and falling onto Roy's own face, growing colder by the second as his breathing slows. "Please! You can't die!"
"What the hell do we do?!" Ed shouts, heart racing as his mind starts flashing red alarms. "He's bleeding out and it's all my fault! Damn it!"
Al doesn't say anything. He, too, is shaking as he tries holding back tears.
An ambulance is heard in the distance. It comes to a skidding halt, the wheels squealing against the road. The paramedics burst from the back carrying a stretcher. The three all watch as the paramedics lift Roy and place him on the stretcher. They wheel him into the ambulance, Riza following close behind. She shouts something to the boys but Edward doesn't hear her. All of it is a blur as the ambulance speeds off once more, sirens blaring. Edward watches numbly, sitting back as his arms hang limply at his sides. His eyes are wide and his whole body is still shaking nonstop, like a leaf barely clinging to a branch in the strong winds of fall.
"Brother?" Al's quiet voice says, cutting through the silence like an unforgiving dagger. "We should get out of the road."
Ed gives a tiny nod as he sees Al stand out of the corner of his eye. And yet, he doesn't make any movement as he stays, frozen as he stares down the road where the ambulance had driven.
"Brother?" Al asks, placing a bloodied hand on Edward's left shoulder. The teen jumps at the sudden touch, the warmth feeling like a burning fire in the middle of a blizzard.
"I'm okay." Ed quickly says as he pushes himself up, shrugging Alphonse's hand off his shoulder as he does so. Al looks like he wants to argue but says nothing as Edward adjusts his black jacket. "I'm okay."
"We should head back to the barracks and wash up." Al says as he leads his older brother out of the road and onto the sidewalk where people move out of the way, almost like the brothers are a plague that they are scared to catch. Edward sure as hell feels that way, everything they touch always seems to have disastrous results.
Edward numbly follows after his brother as they head back to East Command where the barracks are located. All he has in mind is to take a shower and wash away Roy's blood that had soaked through his clothes and dried on his skin. He feels sick to his stomach and swallows thickly, lightly shaking his head to try and clear it.
They get back to the command center half an hour later. They make their way up to their room and Edward is first to claim the bathroom. Alphonse says that he'll use the public showers and leaves with a fresh pair of clothes while Edward locks himself in the bathroom.
He quickly strips out of his bloodied clothes and turns the water on, not bothering to set it to a warmer temperature as he steps under the shower. The water feels like cold needles as it splashes onto his bare skin, instantly starting to wash the blood away, turning the water a slight brownish red color.
Edward fills his hands with soap and instantly starts scrubbing at the blood both on his hands and torso, desperately trying to wash it away. It only takes a few seconds, but despite this, Edward keeps scrubbing at his skin where the blood had previously been.
'Get it off.' He thinks numbly to himself, and then his breathing hitches. His heart rate spikes and his eyes widen. He starts to scratch at his skin, his whole body trembling. 'Get it off! Oh god, please get it off! Off, off off! GET IT OFF!'
Edward continues scratching and scrubbing at his skin, which is now red and raw from how much he's been doing it. His automail fingers leave faint bruises on his skin while his nails leave faint red lines of scratches. Tears sting his eyes as he breathes through his mouth, shaking his head as he lets out a choked sob.
"Oh god.." he breathes out, holding his shaking hands up to his face. He feels a pang in his chest as he slowly slides down to sit on the bathtub floor, his wet golden hair falling over his shoulders as he hugs his knees, trembling from the cold water, his cold arm wrapped around his flesh leg, and his mental break down. Sobs rake his body as he buries his face in his knees, quietly crying to himself.
He doesn't know how long he's been in the shower before there is a knock on the door. His throat feels raw from crying for so long, his eyes feeling like bricks from crying, his head feeling like it might explode from the pressure of a headache. He slowly raises his head as he hears the knock again, trying not to get water in his nose as he sniffles.
"Brother? Are you done yet? It's almost been two hours." Al calls from the other side, a hint of worry and nervousness in his innocent sounding voice.
"Y-yeah, yeah I'm fine," Ed calls out as he quickly stands. "I'll be out in a few minutes, okay?"
He hears Alphonse walk away as he finishes with the shower, washing the rest of his body as well as his hair and face. Once all the soap is gone he turns the water off and squeezes the remaining water out of his hair. He steps out of the tub and grabs a towel on the counter, quickly running it through his hair and across his body before he puts on a new set of clean clothes. White boxers, black leather pants, black tank top, black jacket, white socks, and finally his black boots. He quickly runs a brush through his somewhat tangled blond hair which is still slightly dripping with water. He stops and stares at himself in the mirror for a few seconds, his eyes puffy and bloodshot while there is a bruise slowly forming on his cheek where he had been punched. Edward then quickly braids his hair and steps out of the bathroom, breathing in a deep breath of cold air.
"Brother?" Al asks, looking up from the book in his lap. He is sitting on one of the couches wearing a fresh set of clean clothes. A white shirt, black pants, red cloak. "Everything okay? Your eyes are kind of red."
"I'm fine," Ed quickly replies, looking hastily around the room. As if he expected something to jump out at him.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye called," Al says as he closes the book and sets it down on the coffee table. Edward tenses as Al continues. "She says that Lieutenant Colonel Hughes is here and he's taken over the case. She didn't say anything about Colonel Mustang."
"Okay," Ed replies quietly, sounding somewhat exhausted.
"Can we...can we visit him in the hospital?" Alphonse asks timidly as he stands up. Ed quickly looks away, frowning as a tremor runs through his body. "Just to-just to see."
"Why, Al? You know as well as anyone that he's probably dead." Ed snaps, stepping forwards. Al slightly flinches, glancing away from his brother. "A shot to the chest like that...no one could survive it."
"You never know. It could have missed the important parts," Al mumbles, trying to be optimistic, despite the fact that his brother is leaning over the edge above a raging ocean of emotions. "You'll never know if-"
"But I do know!" Ed shouts, slapping his chest with his automail hand, directly over his heart. "Everyone that we meet, everyone we come into contact with...they always die! Like Winry's parents, that little boy from Yeoz, our mom, Nina and Alexander...everyone! They all end up dying! It's like we're cursed!"
Alphonse stays quiet as he watches his brother shout his lungs out and then some, expressing all his pent up emotions. "Everything is our fault! Everything is my fault! It was my idea to bring mom back, it was my idea to look for a mentor to teach us alchemy, it was my fault that we did human transmutation, my fault that you have to live with the recoils even to this day! Can't you see? If I had never been born none of this would have ever happened! None of it! No one would be dead because of me, no one would be sad because of me, Winry wouldn't cry because of me!"
"Brother," Al finally says as Edward grips his shirt over his heart. "None of this is your fault. It would have still happened, no matter how much someone could try to prevent it. It isn't our fault the war in Ishval started, causing Winry's parents to be sent there. It isn't our fault that Benny died, something similar would have happened eventually. Nothing could have stopped Shou from doing what he did to Nina and Alexander. I helped with the taboo, I chose to go along with it. None of this is your fault."
"But it is," Ed whispers, voice sounding hoarse and broken as he drops to his knees, head hanging low. "It's all my fault."
Al only shakes his head as he walks over to where Edward is. He drops to his knees in front of his brother, a sad smile on his face. "We're only human, doing our best to survive in this hell of a world. It isn't your fault."
Edward slowly looks up at Al, tears shimmering in his eyes. He quickly latches onto Al, his arms wrapped around Al's neck like a lifeline as he sobs into Al's shoulder. Al wraps his arms around Edward, hugging him tightly as he buries his own face in Ed's flesh shoulder. They stay like that, holding each other for a long time, crying in the other's shoulder. Because sometimes it's necessary to crack under the pressure, sometimes it's necessary to be crushed under the weight of the world. How else would you be able to stand again?
The brothers stop by the hospital later that night. Upon entering they see Hawkeye sitting in one of the chairs, legs crossed at the ankles, hands cupped in her lap. Her eyes are trained on the double doors, her blonde hair out of its usual bun and laying across her shoulders. She looks exhausted.
"Lieutenant?" Edward asks as the brothers approach her. Hawkeye instantly looks at the two boys, frowning slightly at their appearance. Both of their clothes are wrinkled and their eyes are red and bloodshot; her guess is that they've been crying.
"Hello boys," She says as they sit down beside her. "You here to see the Colonel?"
"Yeah," Ed replies, voice sounding shaky. "Is he...?"
"No, he's alive." Riza quickly says causing Edward to suck in a breath of air. His golden eyes widen and tears form in the corners of his eyes. Al can't help but smile, a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks. It is obvious to Hawkeye they had beaten themselves up over it. "The bullet missed his vitals by a few inches. He came out of surgery an hour ago, I'm waiting for him to wake up so I can kill him myself."
"That damn idiot," Edward mumbles as he angrily rubs at his eyes. "Too damn stubborn for his own good, even when he's on death's doorstep."
"That's the colonel for you," Riza says softly as she gently pats Edward's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over it, okay? He knew exactly what danger he would be putting himself in."
The doors open to show a middle aged doctor walking towards them. He has the standard brown hair and brown eyes, wearing the usual doctor's outfit.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye?" He asks, stopping in front of the three. "Who are these boys?"
"This is State Alchemist Edward Elric and his younger brother, Alphonse Elric." Riza says a she stands, gesturing to each respective teen. "Colonel Mustang is their commanding officer."
"Ah, I see," the doctor says with a nod as he faces the boy. "I am Dr. Nickle, I am Colonel Mustang's current doctor. His condition is stable and he is awake. He actually sent me to call you boys here."
"Really?" Al asks as the boys both stand up.
The doctor nods and turns. "Follow me, I'll lead you to his room."
The three follow the doctor down the hospital rooms, each of them anxious in their own right. Edward is scared of what he'll see, Riza is worried that something could go bad at any second, while Alphonse worries about both things.
When they get there the doctor pushes open the door, letting the three into the room. He gently closes the door behind them, saying something about sending in a nurse to fetch them after visiting hours are over.
Roy is laying in the bed off to the side of the room, an IV protruding from his left forearm. His eyes are closed and the heart monitor is beeping steadily.
"Sir," Riza says, causing the colonel to open his eyes. He flashes a toothy smile at his lieutenant before he sees the two Elric's, both looking unsure as they stand off to the side.
"You know, charging at someone with a loaded gun isn't advised, Fullmetal." Roy says, his voice sounding scratchy. "You should know better."
"You're one to talk," Ed snaps, crossing his arms as he walks over to the bed, Al following at his heel. "That was stupid you bastard! You could have died! Why didn't you let me take the shot?"
"Because you would be dead if I had let you take the shot," Roy answers plainly. Al seems to shudder at the thought of his brother being dead while Edward looks away, guilty. "Don't start that, it isn't your fault I got shot. I chose to take the hit, it isn't your fault."
"If I hadn't been dumb then this wouldn't have happened!" Ed shouts, hugging himself. "If I hadn't ran towards them when they clearly wanted to kill me with guns you wouldn't have gotten shot...you wouldn't have almost died."
"What did I just say? It isn't your fault. Things happen for a reason, Ed, it's time you realized that." Roy replies as he slowly raises an arm, cringing slightly from the uncomfortable pain in his chest. "Now come here."
Edward hesitates as he moves closer to the bed, Al and Riza watching with curious gazes. Roy wraps his arm around Ed's shoulders and pulls him down, startling the teen.
"See? I'm fine," Roy says as he holds Ed close to him, the teen stubbornly refusing the obvious offer for a hug. He only looks away, arms crossed tensely over his chest, cheeks a slight shade of pink with embarrassment. "Look at me, Edward."
Slowly, Ed's golden eyes travel over to Roy's face and he almost breaks. A small shake runs through his body as he sees the soft smile on Roy's lips. "This isn't your fault. And it doesn't matter anymore, I'm fine. I'm okay, I'm alive."
That did it. Edward's bottom lip trembles as he finally wraps his arms loosely around Roy, burying his face in his shoulder. He doesn't care about the awkward angle as he leans over the bed, knees buckling as Roy pulls him closer. The warmth of his body reassures Edward, like a thick wool blanket on a cold winter night. Like the feeling of warmth in his stomach after he had eaten his mother's stew, the bubbling joy as he played in the yard with Al and Winry. The calmness as his mother would sing them lullabies in order for them to fall asleep. The warm embrace in the loving arms of a protector. Of a father.
"I'll never leave you alone, Ed." Roy whispers as he gently strokes the boy's back. Al and Riza share warm smiles as Edward silently cries into Roy's shoulder. "I promise."
That's a wrap! Let me know if you guys like the longer chapters or the shorter ones, or in between. I'm fine with whatever, so let me know what you guys think. Also, about Sharpshot and the mysterious daughter and everything, they all tie in with my other OC's. I'm working on building them all up right now, I actually spent my whole lunch period at school putting together a timeline that actually makes sense! I had to look up dates on the anime and everything! Though, I could only find dates from the manga, but it's based on Brotherhood, which is based on the manga, so...yeah. Anyways, let me know if you would be interested in reading a full fanfiction about my OC's! Now, onto review answers!
Pasty Koala- thank you so much! I'm glad that you love my story, it really means a lot to me!
Jane- I hope it isn't too bad. Did you like it? I hope so! Thanks for the suggestion, I really enjoyed reading it!
That's all folks! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave suggestions for what you want to see me write in future chapters! Have a good day/night!