Yes, forty chapters! WOO! This is a huge achievement. I've never written forty chapters for a story before. My first time! XD
We also broke three hundred reviews on that last chapter, so thank you guys so much. I LUV yew!
Because this is a wondrous moment, this fortieth chapter is in honor of ComicCon, whose participants not only had to experience Westboro Baptist Church in person, but held a counter-protest. All in the name of nerdom. From one nerd to thousands more, I salute you.
The Lovely Daaaarlings!
Dragon of Twilight: Drama FTW! But no worries, Riley will pull through. She always does.
Haha, I don't. As far as other languages go, I only know some Japanese and even less Spanish. I'll be learning German in school, but that's it. All the other translations I either get off freedict, or Bing Translator.
Rainbowdragongirl101: Riley would be very pissed about that if she were awake! Lawlz, I'm glad you liked Hannah's parts! I tried to give her a bit of a comedic edge since Riley couldn't be the comic relief. Yay, cookies! (I swear, with all this food you guys give me… Ohuhuhu~)
Bloody Bonez Alchemist XD: Aww, cheer up! It gets happier!… Eventually.
AirMage99: Haha, I wish it were that simple! She's a bit too stubborn for that, I'm afraid. And yay, Kimblee's death! (I normally wouldn't be celebrating that.)
yumiXjaganshi: If only Riley were awake to witness it herself, huh? xD
-sAkUrA-fAn-94: Ohmahgush, I love that review. I'm so glad you like the story! Top Five, eh? (Blushing.) And I love that you love Ed and Riley's relationship. I always try to make relationships steady moving in my stories, so it's nice that that gets noticed! Thank you so much!
CalleighBladedancer: Why thank you! I'm glad I can keep it entertaining. xD
YaddaGirl: Does that make me your addiction-supplier then? x'D I kid, but thank you! I'm glad you like it so far.
Katsekala: Ohoho, if only he would soon!
ToshiroHitsugayagirlfriend: Thank you so very much!
Leenaluvsanime4eva: Wow, thanks! I'm glad you like the story! And Ohuhuhuhu, the drama ensues~(Well, okay, it ensued until the introduction for this chapter… But that isn't the point.)
Want to Be a Lovely Daaaarling? Review! Bwahaha…
I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. Riley, Hannah, and anything else in this story not in official merchandise belongs to me. Butwouldn'tbeawesomeifitwereofficial? 8D
Now I'm going to go fatten up on all this food you guys keep spoiling me with…
Chapter Forty:
Emotional Connections
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MICROSCOPIC HALF-PINT WHO DIDN'T GROW UP BECAUSE HE DIDN'T DRINK MILK?"
I flinched at the sudden noise as I came to, and sudden pain shot up in my arm. I groaned, grabbing my hurting arm, which gripped the cloth by my head. "Ed…," I grumbled. Feeling someone staring at me, I ignored it as I tried continuing my sentence. "Shhhh…" The cloth by my head began to shake back and forth as I heard light chuckling above me.
Wait… Wha?
Finally I bothered opening my eyes and looked up to see a blurrier version of Mustang. "…Must…Ang?" I murmured.
He smirked down at me, "Glad to see your eyes open." I looked away to figure out what in the hell was going on, and saw several people I knew. Sheska, Winry, Hannah, Riza, Breda and even Block. I looked further to see Al running down a familiar path.
So where was Ed…? I knew I heard him.
I felt Mustang walking forward but didn't protest. We weren't in or around any military base, that much I figured from the trees and gravel path. I was too tired to protest even if we were, really. So just let my head rest back against him, trying to ignore the intense pain. He could tell I was, and sighed, shaking his head at me. After a few seconds, Mustang stopped walking and I glanced to my left to see Ed and Maria Ross on the porch of the Rockbell House. On the ground, was a blond man, looking old enough to be a father.
"Don't you know it's not nice to wake a cripple so abruptly, Ed?" I spat out weakly, only to have to pant slightly afterward from the breath it took.
Ed, who was glaring down at the man like a madman on the loose, quickly turned to look over at his, his glare replaced with a startled look. "R-Riley… You're… You're alive."
Scowling, I held my arm close to me as I muttered, "What are you talking about? Of course I am. Now let me sleep, will you? I'm tired…"
Ed twitched slightly, looking at me incredulously. "That's… You've been sleeping this whole time…?" Blushing slightly, he scowled and walked over. "Come on…," He grumbled, rushing over to take me from Mustang, who only smirked. I hissed as he gripped my shoulder, and I elbowed him on the chest in return. He grunted a bit and loosened up, grumbling about manners and me being a lazy-ass (Which I didn't understand at all – Okay, maybe a little) as he trudged into the house to get Pinako.
He walked into a bedroom and placed me down. I said nothing as I looked to the side, blushing slightly. "How long was I out anyway?" I finally asked.
Ed stopped from turning to the door, and stood there, looking down at me. "A few hours," He replied, "I'll explain what happened during that time once Pinako's fixed your arm up as best she can, alright?" I nodded silently and he sighed. "You should really try to not get hurt as much as you do, you know… I'm going to have a heart attack by the time I'm seventeen if you keep this up," He grumbled, leaving to get Pinako.
I scowled, but didn't bother arguing. That was just his way of saying he cared. His horrible, horrible way…
. . .
The sun was beginning to set in Resembool and, as luck would have it, I had already slept my fatigue away. The others were almost ready for supper, but I wasn't. I just wanted some fresh air after being cooped up in whom I assumed was Winry's bedroom and in agony all day. I just need to get outside. And so, I did. When the girls were all talking in the kitchen, Ed was in his temporary room and the officers were discussing matters in the living room, I snuck out to the porch.
Ed had explained what happened when I was out while Pinako bandaged my arm. Then she lectured Ed about taking better care of himself and his friends. I would've defended him, but it was too funny to pass up. That was why I need to be outside for a while. Taking in the nice atmosphere, I closed my eyes, resting my head against the door. Ahh, it was so peaceful.
"I'm sorry, but I never got the chance to get your name." And there went the peace.
Jumping, I jerked my head around to see the same man from before. He seemed to be middle-aged, maybe older. With long darkened blond hair pulled back, a few strands hung here and there. He had facial hair, but it seemed to add to his "mystique," if you could call it that. He was tall, that was for sure. But the thing that caught my attention was his eyes.
I had seen those eyes a lot lately.
"…Sorry about that. I'm Riley Mauler, a friend of Ed's," I stated carefully, still watching him closely. I had a pretty good idea of who he was at that point. "And you're… Their father?" I asked.
He shot me a smile and nodded. "I take it Edward has told you about me, then."
Unsure of how to put it nicely, I just shook my head. "No, not really… I figured it out on my own," I paused to motion to his face, "You have the same eyes." Seeing the grin that appeared on his face, I blushed when I realized how that sounded. "I-I mean… I am a State Alchemist so I have to notice these sorts of things…" Growing more embarrassed, I stepped back and felt myself slipping backwards. Looking over my shoulder, I realized I was much closer to the steps than I first thought.
The man in front of me quickly grabbed my wrist, and I let out a loud yell when I felt my arm get pulled. Once he made sure I was to my feet, he quickly let me go. Gritting my teeth, I held my arm in pain. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," He said in a tone that made me think he thought he was talking to some fragile little thing.
"No, it's not you… I got into a fight with someone who weakened my arm and then it's just been beaten worse since," I explained, flinching.
He nodded and began eyeing the arm. "I could try to strengthen it back to its original state, if you'd like?" He offered. At first I wasn't sure about it, but when I felt the pain from my arm, I nodded. And so, he clapped and grabbed my arm. My eyes widened as I felt the insides of my arm move. I looked back up at the man in wonder. Just who was he exactly…?
With a small smile, he looked me in the eye. "I take it you have feelings for my son," He said softly.
Blushing, I was going to retaliate when I decided I shouldn't. This was his father – If I was going to lie to someone about this, it shouldn't be a man who could tell just by looking at us. Not to mention he was performing alchemy on my arm and could potentially disintegrate it if he wanted. Sighing, I glanced to the house quietly. "…I think I do," I finally admitted, "But it doesn't matter."
"And why not?" He asked as he still looked at my eyes, even if I didn't make eye contact. He was quiet, no sign of judgment in anything about him. Maybe he wasn't as bad as Ed thought.
I rubbed the back of my neck with my good hand, smiling bitterly. "A lot of reasons. For one, it would just get in their way. They've come so far… I won't be the one to stop them because of something like this. And besides, I'm sure Ed will think pretty low of me soon." His brows furrowed and I knew he wanted an explanation. "I plan on staying a State Alchemist, even when this is over. Once Ed finds that out… He'll probably want nothing to do with me."
The Elric began to chuckle, making me feel like I was going through Déjà vu. I looked over at him curiously and remained quiet and confused. With a small smile, he said as light around his hand on my arm began dying down, "Give yourself some credit. I've never seen a man act so concerned for someone he could hate just because of a decision like that. Ask him if you don't believe me." Blushing slightly, I realized just how much he was like Ed. I felt like I was actually looking at Ed, not this man. These two people were almost exactly alike… And Ed hated him. I couldn't stop staring at him. I had only known him for a day yet I almost felt comfortable him, just as I did Ed.
And then the door swung open.
Just as the man turned to look to the door, I heard Ed's angry voice shout, "You bastard!" And before I could stop it or even know it was going to happen, Ed was in between us. He grabbed the man's wrist and yanked it off of my arm before smashing his auto-mail fist right in the center of his father's face. The man fell to the ground on the porch and I tried to tell Ed to relax, but he interrupted me, glaring down at the man. "What gives you the right to touch her?"
I was in surprise at the outburst, but the man only chuckled, wiping his chin. "You hit harder when you're protecting someone, Son…"
Ed was about to charge at him again, but I tripped him over. Landing on his back, he grunted before looking up at me, shocked. "R-Riley?"
"He was just trying to fix my arm, Ed," I said, looking down at him. "Have some decency!" Were my last words before I walked inside.
With Ed and Hohenheim
The door shut behind Riley and Ed stared after her in surprised confusion. He heard her yell from upstairs - hadn't he done the right thing? He was trying to help her. Hearing Hohenheim chuckle, he quickly glared over at him, "What's so funny, old man?"
The sun was almost completely down at this point. Even so, there was just enough light outside to see the smallest change of emotion on anyone's face. "She's definitely a one-of-a-kind, Edward. Stubborn and passionate yet still so insecure… And I can see she's got some power over my boy already," He said casually, still sitting on the floor of the porch.
Ed quickly stood and glared down at him. "Don't you think I know that?" He spat out before blushing madly. Hohenheim laughed as Ed protested loudly, "I meant the one-of-a-kind part!"
Hohenheim quickly calmed as he looked Ed in the eye. "Tell me, do you have feelings for her or do you hit people that touch any girl you know?"
The blush on the younger Elric's face deepened but his expression was far from flustered. Glaring down at Hohenheim, he said, "How I may or may not feel about Riley is none of your damn business. But if you knew what was best for you, stay away from her." With that said, he turned and walked back inside, slamming the door in the process.
With Riley
I let out a loud yawn as I stretched my left arm high into the air. I paused, but slowly began to stretch my right arm as well. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as it had been hurting the past two days. Grinning, I began to massage my right wrist as I thought over what the man had done. Not only did he not need a circle, but he did alchemy on the human body without a sweat. I could tell he was just, if not more, as advanced as Blackburn. He was more than just Ed and Al's dad.
By the time I was done thinking it all over, my grin was long gone. Ed was such a hothead, I knew I couldn't ask him anything about his dad. Al wouldn't know and Winry probably wouldn't either… Pinako may tell me a few things, but not nearly what I wanted to know. Sighing, I decided to head downstairs and see what everyone was up to, and maybe lecture Ed about what 'defense' meant.
When I reached the first floor, I saw Ed staring out the door silently. I walked over just to the point where I could see what was going on, and saw Al turn to their father, "Let's go, Dad." He turned and began to walk off.
Their father glanced to Ed before quickly following Al. No one said anything for a few minutes, until Ed turned to head back upstairs. He spotted me but said nothing. We stared a few seconds and I began to blush slightly. Was it just me or did he seem… Different, somehow? Silently, Ed walked past me and I sighed, looking to Hannah and Winry. "What the hell did I miss?"
. . .
"…Can I help you?"
Ed's brow twitched continuously as he tried to eat his breakfast in peace. Unfortunately for him, I wouldn't let him off the hook just yet, and he didn't even know why. The thing was, I didn't know either. Which was exactly why I had been sitting across from him, staring at him for the past forty-five minutes. Everyone was up by now but they weren't inside the kitchen to see this. But the thing was, Ed had been looking… Different. Not really in an obvious sort of way but in a more mature sort of way.
Then again, he hadn't been wearing his red trench coat… And his jacket had been open. And that exact morning, his hair was down and he hadn't put on his jacket yet. That had to be it, right? I mean, come on, you could totally see his hard earned muscles now.
…And what the hell did I just say?
Hiding my reddening face behind my cup, I continued trying to figure it out. Just what was it about him that made me have these… Feelings… Anyway? There had to be something nice about him. I just had to think real hard about it.
…
After a long period of silence, I sighed and shook my head, "I just don't get it."
"Get what?" He grumbled, scowling. Shortly after he asked me this, Al ran into the room. We both looked up at him curiously as he stopped at the side of the table and told us that their father was missing. With a small snort, Ed muttered out casually, "If I'd have known he was gonna leave this early, I would've beat him up yesterday."
My chin resting on my palm, I lazily glanced across the table at the blonde. "To be technical, you kind of did," I commented casually.
Al looked between the two of us silently as Ed's scowl deepened. "That wasn't anywhere near the beating I'd like to give him… That was just to protect you from him," He said stubbornly as he looked to his empty plate.
Rolling my eyes, I continued leaning my weight on the table. "He was just reversing what Blackburn did to my arm. You're such a worrywart."
Turning serious, Ed looked me dead in the eyes. "And you're positive that's all he did? You promise he didn't do anything else to you?" He asked, leaning over as though he'd intimidate me into answering honestly. Even though I already was answering honestly…
"…" I was silent, causing Al and Ed to both lean in, thinking their father actually did something. So with one simple word, I looked to the Elric across from me and said, "Pervert."
Eyes widened, Ed jerked back to a straight position in his chair. "I didn't mean it like that! You're the one that's inappropriate!"
Instantly, I replied with, "Says the one who walks around the house in his boxers at midnight."
Ed blushed madly as he stared over at me nervously. "You… You saw me?" He stuttered out.
Smirking slyly, I nodded with closed eyes. "Kind of hard not to when my room's right next to the stairs. Nice ass by the way," I said, like I was talking about the weather, as I stood from my chair and went to refill my cup.
It took me all my might not to burst out laughing at the poor boy, who by this point was staring so low to the ground, his bangs hid his scarlet face. "Shouldn't that be embarrassing for you to say, Riley?" He grunted out.
I only laughed at this, when Al quickly began waving his hands around. "I'm not kidding about this, you two! Let's go find him, now!"
Ed's attitude changed back to his casual self as he waved his hand dismissively. "Take it from me, Al, he's long gone by now…," He said, not bothering to look up at Al.
"Fine! Then I'll go alone!" Al exclaimed.
He turned to leave and I sighed, feeling a bit bad for Al. But before he could even reach the door, Mustang's voice came through the room. "Wait." We all paused, looking over at the Colonel, who had just walked in with Riza. He exchanged looks with the three of us as he said, "None of you will be leaving here for a while."
"We got a call from Falman at the station," Riza started, "The Investigation group has arrived."
Mustang nodded and stated, "We're going to redirect them back to Central."
Smirking, Ed looked up to Mustang as he leaned on the table. Instantly, I directed my eyes elsewhere as the two continued. "You sure that's smart? Covering for a couple of fugitives…," Ed said casually.
"I don't fully believe your story yet, Elric," Mustang said simply, "So I intend to find out the truth about the Furher's connection with this all on my own."
The door opened as if on cue, and Sheska walked in with a frown. "If you found out that everything Edward said was true…" Once the girl trailed off, Mustang gave a slight smile. He began to walk past her, and patted her on the shoulder before leaving silently.
Riza followed him, but stopped in the doorway. She turned and looked to Ed and me. Her eyes shook slightly, but she saluted nonetheless. I smiled a bit, saluting in return as Ed waved. "Well now," Pinako started, walking into the room from behind Sheska. She smirked up at us all and said, "I think we should put you in the basement until it's safe to come out of hiding." The brothers began to protest, and Sheska laughed at them mockingly. "You too, girl," Was all Pinako said in response to her.
Sheska jumped, staring down at Pinako in surprise. "Huh?" Shortly after, Hannah picked the exact wrong time to come downstairs…
. . .
"Brother? Where do you think Dad went?" Al asked as we all sat in the deep, dark basement of the Rockbell house. It was deep, and it was dark. And the several auto-mail limbs that hung from the walls just made it even creepier.
Hannah sat in between Sheska and Al, mumbling about her bad timing and how she hated us all. I was stuffed between Ed and a box. Joy… Ed scowled at his brother, "Will you shut up about that? What I want to know is how the Colonel is planning to check on the truth about the Furher and that woman."
"Yeah…," Al mumbled out, now starting to get curious about that as well, "That Secretary couldn't have been in the military for more than four years though."
Ed was silent before replying simply with, "I know." I sighed, looking up at the ceiling as I racked my brain for anything.
"He shouldn't worry about something he doesn't have to. Or get bombed out with trivial things," Maes replied calmly. "Besides, if it's really coming from the inside, there's a good chance our lines have been tapped."
I nodded in agreement, "He has a good point. Depending on who on the inside it is, communicating right now is on the back burner."
Before he left completely, I ran to the door, grabbing hold of his arm. "If you find anything out, you'll come back and tell me before you act on it, won't you?"
No… Was that… About the Furher? My eyes widened. Maes knew. He found out everything. From the Homunculi to the Ishbalin War. He found it all out, and that was why he was killed… Because he knew too much… Was that really it? I looked downwards, feeling my hands begin to shake at the realization. It was so obvious, yet I never added it together till just then?
"It can't be…," I heard Sheska say.
Quickly, I looked over at her knowing she was thinking the same as me. "Sheska…," I warned under my breath.
Ed, assuming Sheska was just in shock, looked back to the ground. Suddenly, he realized something. "I get it… They started the war for the Philosopher's Stone. That must be the reason. Ingredients," He said as he looked back to Al.
Al was silent at first. "So someone might create the Philosopher's Stone using the Grand Arcanum," He wondered aloud, catching on as well. "They'd go that far?"
Glaring, Ed grumbled, "The whole thing was designed by those Homunculi…"
"…So that's it," Sheska mumbled.
With narrowed eyes, I shook my head at her. "Sheska," I warned, voice firmer than before.
She only ignored me. "Hughes must have figured out that much," She said, looking downward.
"Sheska!" I snapped harshly, glaring over at her. Hannah began inching away, knowing what was going on.
"That's why they killed him," She finished. Al gasped loudly. Ed's eyes widened, his pupils dilated.
Seconds later, a hole was formed in the floor of the first floor. Ed and Al flew through it, Ed screaming, "I'M GOING TO KILL THOSE BASTARDS!" He rushed to the door but Winry blocked his path. Hannah and Sheska ran forward, holding Al back, who protested just as angrily as his brother. Ed stopped, dead in his tracks. Grabbing Winry by the shoulders, he growled out, "Did you know!"
Eyes softening, Winry looked away. "I'm sorry… I've known for a little while now, Edward."
He glared before his eyes widened. "Wait a minute…" That was when he rounded on me, who stood in the corner solemnly. "You stayed with Hughes' family after we left to heal… How long have you, of all people, been keeping this from us?" He shouted at me.
I winced, looking downwards as the moments played over in my head. From running around the entire town to… To finally finding him. "…I'm sorry," I choked out. "But I was the one that found him."
They both went quiet. Ed made his way over to me and I knew what he was going to do. Winry began to warn him to calm down, but it was too late for him to calm down. He reached me and I looked down, bracing for impact. But instead, all I got were his hands ramming into the wall in other side of my head to keep me pinned there. The surprise and the noise had my wince as he glared me straight in the eye. "Why the hell didn't you tell us?" He hissed out.
I turned away from him. My eyes were fixed on the ground in shame. "…I couldn't even look at my pocket watch without bursting into tears… How could I possibly have the strength to tell you two that it was my fault Maes Hughes was dead?" I whispered out.
"Your fault?" He asked, eyes narrowed to show his clear confusion.
And suspicion…
My knees were about to give out on me, I could tell. Fists clenched, I tried keeping my own emotions in check. "I knew… I knew where he was going but I didn't bother to go with him. And even when I knew something was wrong… I could've found him sooner… I'm so sorry, Ed…"
"That's enough!" Sheska shouted to Ed, "Riley's been through enough already, stop pestering her! Just come back downstairs, the both of you!"
Ed let go of the wall around me and spun to glare at Sheska. "You've got to be kidding me! If Hughes got killed then it was our fault for putting him in that situation!" He shouted before growling out, "He was our friend…"
He turned, running back to the door when Pinako came to everyone's rescue. By that point, I let myself cave and fall to the ground. Everything I tried to ignore was coming back up all over again. "When are you going to grow up?" Pinako screamed, stopping Ed in his tracks. "Colonel Mustang didn't keep you in the dark out of malice, you morons! I've heard about this Hughes guy. It sounds like he was a great man. But Mustang doesn't want you to be driven by thoughts of revenge. He wants you to realize that there are more important things in life. I bet your friend Hughes would have agreed."
"…Yeah, but…," Ed only trailed off into silence.
I felt Hughes' daggers in my pockets and began to think back to that day. "I went to his funeral," I muttered. The others looked to me, except for Ed. "…I didn't have the guts to attend as a soldier so I just watched from a distance. Mustang was the only one who bothered to make sure I was still sane." Smirking slightly, I stared down at the ground. "The man you all call selfish let me sit there sobbing into his arms. He was the only one who told me it wasn't my fault…"
. . .
It was silent in the bedroom as I lay on the bed in peace. After my little episode, I told the others to give me my space. They all had, the entire house in a tense atmosphere. But I didn't care. I was pretty much numb all over, lying in bed as I faced the wall. I couldn't sleep but it was better than being out of the room, where others could be.
When I heard the door slowly open, I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. I wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone. Boots thudded across the floor and I knew right away that it was Ed. I could hear him plop down on the floor beside the bed. "That was why you were crying that night… Wasn't it?" When I said nothing, he sighed and said, "I know you're awake, Riley." Once more, I was silent.
Finally, I rolled over and stared at him dully. We were probably eye-level with him sitting by the bed. Now he could see the tear-stained cheeks and I could see his exhausted face. Ed winced slightly, glancing away as he smirked bitterly, "Come on, did you really have to let me see you like that?"
"Does it make you less angry at me for not telling you?" I asked dully. Seeing him nod, I replied simply with, "Then yes."
He sighed, frowning as he realized I wasn't in any good mood. "I'm sorry about earlier. I should have realized you were still trying to deal with it. I just… Wish you would've told us."
Sighing, I rolled onto my left side to face him completely. "I know. I'm sorry."
We stared each other down for a few seconds and I snuggled into the pillow to sleep finally. With closed eyes, I said just as casually as I had earlier that day, "And you owe me, Elric. It's past midnight and I didn't see any ass today." Ed became flustered at this before smacking me on the head, only causing me to laugh in return. I would never admit it, but I was only partly joking…
Looking back to Ed, I saw him smiling slightly. I blushed slightly as we continued looking at one another. "What?" I asked, ignoring the awkwardness.
"Nothing," He said before shaking his head as he finally looked away. I said nothing else as I moved my face back into my pillow. I began to fall asleep and when I noticed Ed was too, it felt pretty good having his company there.
. . .
The moon shone down on the Rockbell house quietly as everyone slept. Well, everyone but me. Groaning, I began to open my eyes to an empty bedroom, and slowly sat up. Ed must have left to his own room while I was asleep. Rubbing my forehead, pushing my bangs out of my face, I stood from the bed and grabbed my hairclip. As I left the room, I clipped my hair back up, not caring that it wasn't brushed.
Once I was in the hallway, I heard light footsteps. Looking to the side, I saw Ed coming up the stairs. His clothes were dirty, as was his face, and a small cloth was in his hand. "Where have you been?" I asked.
I waited for his answer, ignoring the fact he jumped and looked up in surprise. "Riley…," He mumbled before shaking his head, "It's not important."
Pouting, I crossed my arms as he reached the top step. "You do realize I could figure it out within about an hour, you know," I grumbled stubbornly.
Smirking, he nodded, "Yeah, I know. But don't worry about it until we leave." I sighed slightly as Ed walked past me and continued down the hall silently. His boots thudded lightly across the wood, low enough to not wake anyone. The conversation with his father came to my mind and I looked to the ground in thought. Would a man who hadn't seen his son in so long really be right about this?
"Ed."
The thuds on the floor stopped. Ed turned slightly to better look back at me. "Yeah?"
"What do you…," I trailed off, knowing how stupid that question would sound once I asked it. "Lately everything has been leading back to the military and its higher-ups. And now we're running from them all… But… Do you consider me one of them?"
When nothing was said, I glanced to Ed from the side of my eye in worry. He was surprised, but it was quickly wiped off of his face. Looking up at me, he shook his head dismissively, "Why would I? You've been helping us more than anyone."
He turned to continue walking, but I wasn't done just yet. "But what if I wasn't?" He stopped once more and at this point, I was glaring at the floor. "You say that like that's that. That simple… But it isn't. What if I wasn't following you and Al anymore, Ed? What if… What if I went back to the military? Then what would you think?… Would you hate me?" I asked, finally getting the courage to look back up at him.
The shock on his face told me nothing. Was he surprised I cared? Or was he disgusted I even thought of going back? Slowly, Ed looked to the ground, eyes still wide. I did the same, feeling tense. "So that's what Dad meant," He mumbled under his breath. I moved to look up at him and ask what he meant. But before I could, hands slammed down on my shoulders, gripping them tightly, and Ed was in front of me. With a hard look in his eyes, he said, "That doesn't matter. I couldn't think of you as a military rat even if I wanted to. I… Al and I both trust you. If we didn't, I wouldn't have carried you all the way here. I never wanted you gone, Riley. Don't you dare every worry about something like that again. Just worry about what's going on now."
I said nothing. Didn't he realize I was? I was completely worried about now. That was all that was going on in my mind. My thoughts had gone from what I could do to piss Ed off that day - to if I'd even get to see him live through to tomorrow. They had completely changed and that's what I was worried about. Frowning, I didn't say the lighthearted things that came to mind to change the situation("Huh… You really aren't that short, are you?"). I could only mutter under my breath, "…I'm scared."
"…" Ed's eyes softened slightly as he squeezed my shoulders in reassurance. "I am too, Riley…" We both continued standing there, both of us meaning something entirely different. Hearing a door begin to open, Ed quickly stepped away. Blushing, we both hurried to our own rooms to sleep, and forget about what happened.
Even though I knew I wouldn't.
In other news, I'm trying to convince my mom to let me get a ferret. I've got my aunt on my side and we're teaming up against her. Wish me luck!
Be Responsible. Don't Flame and Drive! Rawr.