He Brought Him Grapes

Edited RolePlay By Interstella and 'Jordan'.

Part Two

Roy was in the midst of a surprisingly pleasant conversation with no other than the pipsqueak. Sorry, FullMetal. Ed had been reporting on his latest mission but he seemed to keep wanting to go off track, as if he had something else to talk about.

"Is that all, then?"Mustang asked, resting his elbows on his desk and weaving his fingers together in front of his eyes.

"For my report? Yeah, it is."

Mustang lowered his eyelids slightly. "Then why are you still in my office?"

"Well... You know, Mustang..." Edward rose his eyes to the colonel's, staring into them for a moment before his expression completely changed. His eyebrows pulled together over his flaming golden eyes as he grit his teeth suddenly, a vein throbbing at his temple. When he spoke again, he was growling. "Mustang..."

Roy leaned back, not knowing what to do with this sudden change. Ed opened his mouth, ready to explode at the Flame Alchemist as if he had just called him a half-pint.

"MUSTANG YOU BASTARD!"

Said Bastard's eyebrows pulled together, his eyelids squeezing more tightly shut as he was unceremoniously ripped from his dream via grape to the head. Namely, right between the eyes.

"Ugh... what the hell..." he muttered almost incomprehensibly, opening his eyes, only to be pelted with more grapes of all things.

Mustang yanked his sheet up over his head, attempting to block the spiteful attacks. "Dammit! FullMetal! What the hell?!"

And just as suddenly as the blonde had made himself aware, he stormed out of the room.

To say that Roy was not expecting that would be and understatement. To say that he was annoyed would be the understatement of the century.

Slowly, he lowered the protective sheet until it draped across his lap. "Speak of the devil..." He muttered in irritation.

"Ed! What are you..." Alphonse trailed off as he watched his brother dump a pile of papers into Riza Hawkeye's hands and walk away. Alphonse saw the look he received from the lieutenant and just shook his head slowly, "Don't look at me. I don't get it either."

Riza looked at Al, then in the direction that Ed had gone. "Perhaps you should give him a while before finding him." She suggested before wandering into Roy's room, looking at the papers as she walked. When she lifted her head, she had to choke back a chuckle, managing to hide it behind a cough.

The colonel was covered in grapes, and many of them had split, causing him to get covered in the sticky juice. Hiding the lower half of her face with the reports, she shook her head. Finally managing to school her features, she moved to the sink to get a cloth. Placing the papers on the desk beside Roy's bed, she ran the cloth under the tap in the corner and handed it to him.

"Do you know what's bothering him?" She asked.

Roy narrowed his eyes at Hawkeye. She, somehow having the nerve to be amused with the situation, was obviously trying not to laugh. Roy took the cloth from her, wiping the juice from his face.

"How should I know? I guess the boy's finally cracked. We all saw it coming." Despite his joking, Roy's tone was nonchalant, as if he could care less for the reason behind Ed's outburst. It wasn't uncommon for the boy to have them - especially around the colonel who seemed to delight in teasing the blonde above anything else.

Flicking a grape off of his lap, Roy reached over to take a look at the papers that Riza had set down next to him.

"FullMetal's report, I presume?" His dark eyes scanned quickly over each page. Without looking up from the article, he continued, "Honestly, Lieutenant, what's the point of my checking in to the hospital if you're just going to bring the work to me?"

But his lips tilted slightly upward as he read further, somehow not quite so displeased with this paperwork.

Hakweye rolled her eyes as she sat on the chair beside Roy's bed. This was the only thing she'd brought in for him. Everything else, she'd either done her self, or left on his desk to wait for him. "According to Alphonse, Edward's been acting a little strange for a while now." She added offhandedly, picking up the bunch of grapes that was still together. The few that had remained attached to the stalk looked okay, and she plucked one off and placed it in her mouth.

After a second, she frowned at the grapes then chuckled. "He bought you grapes." She pointed out, "I don't think it was his intention to throw them at you though."

"He bought you grapes…"

Roy finally took the effort to look away from the report and peer over the papers at Riza. His expression was thoughtful as if taking it all in.

"Hm…" After a moment, he looked down again, pretending to continue his reading even though he had already finished. After a lot of practice at it with a news paper, he'd gotten pretty damn good at making the act come across as legitimate. His voice was that same nonchalant tone from before, "I'm not entirely sure if you're trying to hint at something, Hawkeye… but if Edward really is feeling unusually distraught today, I'm sure Alphonse will find a way to help him out of it. Those two are thick as thieves, you know."

--- ---- ---

Grumbling under his breath, Ed made his way to the hotel they'd been staying at. His mind was churning once again, mostly with the question why. Why had be felt so afraid when he'd heard that Mustang was in the hospital. He'd panicked, fucking panicked. What did it matter to him what happened to his superior? The smug bastard deserved to have some sort of punishment for his manipulative way, right? So why in the hells did Ed feel like a part of his chest had been ripped from him?

Once he made it to his room, he threw himself onto his bed, covering his head with his pillow as he tried to change his thoughts. No. What he felt was nothing more than hormonal. That was all. He was sixteen. His body didn't know any better…

So then, why did he have the overwhelming urge to cry? Not that he ever would, especially not over that bastard. But the point was, he felt like crying.

--- --- ---

Alphonse stood outside Colonel Mustang's door, his head turning left and right, entirely unsure of what he should do. Follow Ed? No, Riza had made a good point when she suggested that he wait. So go in to visit the colonel, then? Interrogate him to find out what he possibly did to upset Ed in the first place?

Wouldn't that be a little awkward?

Al sighed heavily, his great shoulders slumping in defeat. "I guess I'll wait outside, then. The weather's nice today." He set off walking down the hall, his metal armour clanking loudly with every step.

--- --- ---

Night fell upon the city, darkness crawling in, hiding everything in it's gloom. The city was alive with the sounds of nocturnal creatures waking. Once again, those unique golden eyes blinked open and looked around. "Damn." Ed mumbled, realizing that he must have fallen asleep. The ever roaming eyes noticed that Alphonse wasn't in the room, and he grew a little worried. Where was his brother?

Pulling the blankets off his legs comforted Ed a little, having not intended on falling asleep, he hadn't used the blankets, which meant that Al must have come back at least once already. Well, he decided he might as well go look for him.

Predictably, Al was in the first place Ed looked for him – the library. "Hey Al." He said quietly.

During his time alone, he'd cried out, trying to silence the thoughts in his mind, trying to figure out what to do, how to respond to the feelings blossoming within him. Maybe it was time to confess. Not about Mustang being his every thought – no- no way in hell. But maybe about the other thing… the thing that could cause Al to turn him away forever, that could disgust his brother to the point of disownment.

Edward Elric had faced a lot in his time, chimeras, homunculi, a rudely woken Alphonse (back when he had his body), and of course, the gate, the creation he and Al had made, and the death of his mother. But none of that scared him as much as this did.

"I think…. I think I should tell you something…" He said quietly, hoping that his courage didn't leave him before he finished speaking. Even if Al did leave him, the boy had a right to know. He was his brother, and he knew him better than anyone. If anyone was going to figure it out on their own, it would be Al. It was better to hear it, than to figure it out, right?

"It's something important." He added, not lifting his eyes off the ground to look at his little brother. The tiles had an odd pattern of black and white, it was interesting… "And…it's sorta a big deal." This build up was huge. He was sure that it was only because a part of him was afraid of what Al would say, how he would react. And if he'd put two and two together and come up with Mustang.

"I dunno what you'll say about it… But… I don't want…. I don't want you to leave me over this…" Great, now his voice and his body was trembling. He couldn't say anything more, not yet. He had to brace himself for this. Make sure that the last things he said to his brother were full of love.

Alphonse didn't turn around for all that his brother had said so far. Partly out of shock that Ed had come to him on his own, partly just because he was too intent on listening to make any action. But now that he could hear something in Ed's voice that seemed so upset by whatever this was, so overwhelmed...

Al started to panic. If there was really something this serious going on, everything Al had come up with was completely off. He should have noticed. He should have noticed more than just a "bad mood". He should have been able to see all of this coming. But even now, when Alphonse realized everything that he should have done to prevent something like this from happening to his brother, the only person he really had, he still couldn't begin to imagine what this "big deal" must be.

Alphonse's mind was racing as he finally turned to face his brother. Had Ed been arrested?

"Brother… Whatever it is, just tell me."

Had Ed found out that he and Al weren't really even related?

"You know you can trust me."

Did Ed kill an innocent person?

" We… have to stick together. No matter what."

Alphonse was determined to hear his brother out and stick to his word, no matter what tried to come between them.

Finding himself trembling slightly, Ed looked at his brother briefly before returning his golden gaze to the black and white floor. "It's… It's kinda hard for me to say…" He mumbled, his feet moving slightly as he nervously fiddled with his fingers. "And I don't want you to fly off the handle or anything, and I know that you think you'll always be here for me, no matter what. But if you don't want to see me after I said this, then that's okay too… I – I don't want you to have to deal with being around someone… like me… But- but don't worry. I'll still get your body back. I promise you." He lifted his gaze again, but couldn't seem to keep his eyes on Alphonse, instead they rose to the ceiling. He just hoped that it was dark enough in here, even with the candle, to hide the blush on his face.

"But… Something's been bothering me for a while. I know you've noticed… But… I didn't know how to tell you. I still don't know how to tell you…" Taking a deep breath, he looked down again, finding the floor once again interesting. "I wonder what Winry'll say…" He half muttered to himself.

'Winry?'

Ed was getting off track. Alphonse held back a sigh and reminded himself to be patient. He knew there wasn't much more babbling Ed could possibly pull off before he finally had to own up to what he was trying to say. And Al was afraid that if he pushed him to spit it out that would just scare him off and then he would never find out. So, instead he balled his fists at his sides and bit back the urge to say any more.

'Please, Brother… just tell me…'

If the blonde didn't speak up soon, Alphonse thought he might just go crazy. He was already coming up with completely bizarre things in his panic - things as ridiculous as the possibility of Ed deciding to become a prostitute.

"I mean…" Ed continued, "She's always made it obvious that she… wants….me…" At those words, Ed's face grew warm, the pink tinge becoming a full on blush as he shook his head. "I don't want to disappoint her, but it wouldn't work…" He shook his head again. "Because… because…. Damn it!" He didn't seem to be able to say it.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried again, "Because I don't like girls." He said, knowing that he had to make himself perfectly clear, and couldn't leave it just hanging like that. If he did, he'd have to explain it to Al again later, and he didn't think he could handle that.

"I just…" He bit his lip before sighing, "I like guys…" Those words, the ones that had been so hard to get out, were spoken so quietly that Ed himself nearly didn't hear them. Realizing this, he spoke a little louder. "I think I'm gay, Al." He finished, standing as still as he could while still trembling. He didn't want to look up at Al. Even though his brother didn't have a face to make expressions with, those glowing eyes were literally windows into his soul. He didn't want to see Al disappointed in him.

So he lapsed into silence, wondering what his brothers' reaction would be.

The silence lasted a while because Alphonse just stared at his brother for a long, long time. He knew now that he had never fully understood the expression "I can't believe my ears" until this moment. This moment when he found it legitimately difficult to accept that he had correctly heard his brother.

That couldn't be it. No, it had to be that Ed's life was in danger or something. Something worth worrying over. That… no. That just wasn't it. It couldn't be.

But… maybe it was.

Barely realizing it, Alphonse spoke. His tone was not surprised, not disgusted, but completely monotonous, "You're gay?"

Alphonse stepped forward suddenly, grabbing his brother by the front of his shirt. "That's it?" He started shaking the blonde. "You mean you didn't kill someone? We're still brothers? You were so worried over THAT when you're not even going to jail?!"

Al flung his arms around his big brother, lifting him off the ground from the intensity of the hug, and started laughing. An incredibly happy, relieved chime of a laugh.

How could he have been so afraid of losing such a knucklehead of a brother?

"Wha-" Ed lifted his head as Al grabbed him, and when he was lifted into the hug, he squeaked. Yes, that's right, Edward Elric, FullMetal Alchemist, Hero of the people, squeaked when his brother picked him up.

"Whadda ya mean, 'still broters'? And what about jail!? You think I'd be this upset about something as stupid as jail?" He flailed slightly, trying to get out of his brother's crushing grip. "Al, I can't breathe! Put me down!" He ordered.

When he was put back on his feet, he stared at his brother for a moment before speaking again. "So you really don't care?" he asked quietly, "I mean, you're not disgusted? Humiliated? You're brother's… your brother's a fag, a pansy, a fucking fruit cake." It was obvious by the way he was talking, by the tone of his voice, that at least one Elric brother was ashamed.

Ed wasn't sure how to go about his new self discovery. He knew that it was strange, and thought that it was terribly wrong for him to be this way. "You don't have to pretend you know," He added in a quieter voice, once again looking down. This time, it was to hide his own look of shame. "I mean… I wouldn't want to be around someone like me… It's- it's wrong Al. I'm wrong…"

His shoulders slumped as he tried to figure himself out. "I'm a screw up…It's probably Hohenheim's fault…" He added at the end, feeling the need to blame his bastard of a father for every wrong in his life.

Alphonse felt his heart sink when he saw the shame that his brother felt about this. Al was surprised that Ed was taking it this hard, and shocked that Ed was honestly worried about losing Alphonse's love over it. Sure, he hadn't been expecting his brother's confession to be about his sexuality, but didn't Ed know him better than that? What was so wrong about being gay that would make it come between them? If Al tried to count on both hands how many times they had undergone much worse threats to the brothers' relationship he would run out of fingers. Heck, if he added Ed's hand and feet, he would still run out of fingers… and toes.

Alphonse sighed. He wished he could better communicate everything he wanted Ed to know, he just couldn't figure out how. Still, he had to try.

"Brother… it's not disgusting and it's not wrong. I'm not pretending to accept you. I'll always accept you, because you're my brother and you mean more to me than anything."

Ed shook his head, a soft smile on his face. "Thanks Al." He said, "You always know what to say." But his words weren't the truth. He wasn't completely convinced that Al didn't care, hell, he cared. But for now, he'd accept that his brother still loved him. He hadn't hit him, after all.

Shivering a little, he pulled his jacket tighter around him, only now realizing how late it really was. "I'm gonna head back." He said quietly, still trying to figure out his thoughts. He felt lighter, now that he'd confessed his sexuality to his brother. He finally had someone he could talk to about all of this. Maybe he'd help him figure out what exactly it was he had for Mustang… No. No way was Ed going to admit to feeling anything but annoyance towards his superior officer. "You gonna be okay here?" He asked, his voice showing his need to be alone for a little while.

His mind was still churning. Al thought it was alright, that it wasn't strange. But… But Al was still only a kid, right? He had nearly 15 years of experience behind him, but his body couldn't have aged, meaning that he still had whatever thought patterns a ten year old had. Was it possible that Al, even with his young mind, could have been wiser than Ed? Or was it more likely that it was a childish innocence, the belief that everything would always be alright? He smiled softly at his brother.

"I'll see you when you come back…" And with that, he left the library, making his way to their room and snuggling under his blankets.

--- --- --- End Part 2 --- --- ---