Repercussion-
Do people actually realize how many accidental deaths and injuries occur from guns? That a person could fire from rage or fright, without the intention to kill in the first place?
A gun has two parts to it, the trigger and the barrel, and with one single shot, it is possible to claim someone's life.
A knife however, is much more complex, even though the construction is so much simpler. It has two sides, one of life and one of death. The user has the opportunity to change their mind at the very last minute and save someone's life. Not that he ever made that decision though.
But he had a back up explanation.
Everyone uses knives daily, whether to cut meat, trim off extra fabric or butter a piece of bread, people hold them in their hands so many times in a life. Maybe it was an attempt to separate himself from the reality of what he was doing, or maybe it was plainly an excuse. Whatever the case, he would always argue that knives were a better tool than guns.
Two of his very first victims were taken with guns, yet he knew exactly what he was doing both times. He stared into their faces and watched single and multiple bullets blow through their chests.
It was so easy, once the emotional barrier of a conscience was removed. A simple muscular contraction of one his fingers, and BAM someone dies.
Whereas with a knife, there were a lot more guilt issues to battle with. You had to get up close to the bodies and stab them in a place that would kill them instantly. Unless you enjoyed the bloodshed of gore falling over you while you pierced through them repeatedly.
So he had decided to use knives to kill, so that he would always be reminded of the gravity of what he was doing.
Lest he forget.
Roy's gaze tilted down to the menu before him and Ed sighed with relief. At least the bastard wasn't staring at him anymore.
Because honestly, he wasn't stupid.
Obviously there was something quite important that Roy wanted to ask him, and he had tried on several occasions. But from what Edward though to be extremely good luck, something kept on interfering in his attempts. A waitress would walk by them flirtatiously, a man would laugh loudly behind him, or Ed would accidentally kick him in the shin before he could get the question out.
Frankly, the blonde though he had an idea of what is was that Mustang wanted to ask.
Something along the lines of, 'Why did you try to kill me?'
And what would he say to that? 'Well, I was looking to make a few quick bucks and was hired off to, just like every other night. But I really didn't know that it was you.'
Yeah right.
Hence he was chagrined at what to do.
Head tilted down toward the steak section of his pressed menu, Roy pretended to be looking for a decent choice of selection. In actuality, he had been staring at his dinner companion since they had arrived. But he wasn't stupid, he could see that Edward was becoming irritated with his unwavering stare, and the last thing he wanted to do was make him uncomfortable.
An Ed that was embarrassed usually shouted and ranted off about some strange thing to draw the attention away from himself. In reverse, an uncomfortable Ed left completely. That was something that Mustang could not afford to have happen again.
Although he was paying particular attention now to Edward, he was still having a difficult time getting a reading.
It had been so much easier when he was a kid. His emotion shone through on his face whether he wanted it to or not, and Roy wished that he were still that way. Rather than being so withdrawn into his mind, turned away from the world of reality.
That posed an interesting thought. Why was it that Ed had changed so much?
Naturally, when kids grow out of their teenage years, they're going to change physically and mentally. But in most cases they kept a good deal of their original personality.
What had happened to make Edward so different from the average textbook cases? And why did it seem that he didn't want Roy to know the reason?
The silence was tense and uncomfortable, and right about now he felt like saying to hell with it and taking a hike somewhere far away from life.
He should have known something akin to what was occurring would happen.
Every time Ed chose to look down at the table or out the window in the darkening night, out of the corner of his eye he would see Roy peering casually over to him. And it took all of his willpower not to shout out at Mustang to back off, and then run away himself.
After all, there were many excuses he could come up with. Al needed him at home, he had to file some paperwork, he needed to use the washroom and the one at the restaurant wasn't clean enough, they were all true, but he just couldn't bring himself to spit any of them out.
Because through all the layers of anxiousness and uneasiness, Edward was enjoying this much more than he let on.
It was as if his mind drifted away to when they were still together officially and none of the night business he conducted even existed. Here, in this place, he was safe from the reality of his life. In a room filled with people and Roy at his side, he couldn't kill anyone, couldn't immerse himself into guilt and most of all he didn't have to act like an adult.
Here, he was -dare he think- at peace.
However, the reality was that in an hour Mustang would have to work, so this night could not continue on forever, even in Ed's dreams.
Roy glanced up at him finally letting the other look into his eyes, instead of trying to avoid them constantly.
"Should we order now?"
Edward nodded and Roy signalled a waitress to come over. He wished to someone that Roy had not.
She clumsily stood in front of them, giggling nervously when she stumbled and began to jot down Mustang's order.
Ed though, merely stared at her with some shock and fear and hesitance.
Her hair was bleached blonde from a naturally darker color and she had pure blue contacts in her eyes, her casual tomboy appearance should have sent off warning bells inside his head immediately.
'Kill her Chibi! Do it now. If you don't, I'll go find that little brother of ours and kill him. And you know that I will, so don't even try to deny my seriousness.'
Roy asked him if he was alright.
'Look at her Chibi, I said look! Isn't she happy now?'
The waitress stared at him nervously.
'You set her free.'
He wanted to run.
'She had no parents (they were killed I believe) and was living a monotonous life. But you let her be free without pain, it's what she wanted.'
He bit his lips, forcing himself back into the present and away from his thoughts. Laughing shakily at his supposed day dreaming he apologized, spurt off some random dish like he would have when embarrassed, just as people who knew him expected him to.
However, his own words ran through his head distractedly.
'Then why was she screaming?'
Roy was beginning to feel as though this night was proving to be far more fruitful than he had first thought.
He knew that it sounded cruel, but whatever it was that had just happened between that girl and Edward was like a godsend. Mustang hadn't been able to get a real reaction out of the blonde, but that waitress did, all by walking up to them.
The way that Ed's face had completely blanched meant that she really must have hit a large nerve.
And the laugh Edward gave when he shook off his initial surprise may have fooled the girl, but it sure as hell did not fool him. It was forced and watery; it could not even hold a candle up to the laugh he normally gave off when embarrassed. Sure it was often quite shaky, though never did Roy nearly see tears fall from Ed's eyes during a supposed expression like thus.
And as she left, he expectedly saw that this was the opportune time to push Edward just a little bit further. He would rely on his theory of impulsiveness and go from there.
Hopefully, nothing bad would ensue from his actions.
Placing his hand lightly on Ed's and noting the startle the blonde gave, he asked what he had been trying to for close to an hour.
"Why did you try to kill me, Edward?"
Roy saw his fake happiness falter, and a dark look loomed in his eyes.
Coax him: that was the plan.
"Are you killing other people?" He gently pried as if it was the most casual thing in the world, and he hoped to high heaven that he was wrong.
Ed's shoulders slumped, as if he had been expecting this the entire time.
"I… It's not-" He tried to explain in a mumble, but was cut off from an alarming ring of Mustang's cell phone.
Roy answered it calmly and his gaze never left the one before him.
Edward had not denied anything, he merely tried to make a stumbled excuse and avoid the question entirely.
That was not a good sign.
"May I ask why you are calling me so late at night Riza?"
Ed tried to ignore the conversation Roy was having with another person that he knew from Mustang's old job and instead attempted to weigh his options.
Sure the call may last one minute to five, but eventually it would end and they would be back at where they were. It bought him some time.
"Are you sure? How can Ross be dead? She can hold herself in a fight just as well as you."
Edward paled considerably, and unfortunately for him Mustang noticed.
He turned as if to saunter away unnoticeably. Roy grabbed his wrist tightly, refusing to let him escape.
"So it was a murder." Roy was close to glaring at him now as Ed fought to get out of his grasp desperately. "Sure, I'll take the night off and come down; she was on my division after all. Thank you for calling."
Mustang snapped the lid shut angrily.
He dragged Edward to his feet, ignoring that their food was now arriving and set out to leave with the blonde in tow. Tossing some bills onto the cash out they both left, one willingly and the other not.
Cool night air blew onto his face and Ed wished that he had some sort of sunglasses to cover his eyes. Anything to keep them hidden from a penetrating gaze Roy was giving him as he briskly pulled Ed along.
Mustang halted at a red light.
"Now Edward, we are going to see our friend that is dead, and on the way you are going to tell me exactly what the fuck you had to do with it."
The words stung, but a greater reality haunted him.
There was no escaping this, not this time. The consequences of what he had done were coming back to bite him in the ass. And Ed deduced rather calmly that it hurt more than the severity of Roy's words.
AN: I don't have much to say other than I like the comments this story's getting, and surely hope there'll be some more for this chapter. (And that you really observant reader can figure out who the girl was).