Take It All Away
Chapter 11:Insubordination
See first chapter for disclaimer and warnings.
R-2-F
"Hughes is dead."
"H-he's what…?" Roy stuttered, his voice laced with disbelief. He shook his head and pulled his hands from Ed's. "That's impossible," He stated firmly.
"Mustang--"
"No." Roy cut in. "I just saw him. He was in Bradley's office." Roy explained, desperate for Ed to realize his mistake. "Ask Bradley! They were arguing--!"
"That wasn't Hughes!" Ed snapped, ceasing Roy's tirade. He rose to his feet to stare impassively down at his superior. "I don't know who it was, but that wasn't him."
Roy seemed to deflate as his eyes met Ed's. Try as he might to find some hint of jest, some flaw in the man's story, Roy could find nothing in the blonde's gaze to contradict his words. The faintest hint of fury burned in those eyes, but the fire was overshadowed by pain. It was the pain in the golden depths that caught Roy's attention. Edward's eyes had the ability to transmit his every feeling perfectly. It was a trait that Roy found he admired the boy for. But in that moment, those eyes belonged to a boy who had lost someone dear.
Roy shook his head again, finally accepting the truth of the situation. The loss of his dear friend was the hardest thing Roy could have been asked to face. Hughes had been a brother figure to Roy for as long as he could remember. Hughes had been both a friend and comrade to Roy from the time they met, but there was always something else there. For the longest time Roy could not place what that something was, but the night prior to the Ishbal raid, Roy had finally solved the puzzle. Hughes was family, and the only family Roy had been blessed with for a long, long time. His death was not the death of a friend or comrade, but the death of a brother.
Edward closed his eyes as he fought an internal battle with himself. The braided man recognized the impact Hughes' death must have on the General, so he worked to hold his temper at bay. He finally opened his eyes when he was sure his anger was checked. His golden eyes locked on Roy's onyx as he knelt before him once again. "We can't talk about this here, Mustang. Let's get you back to your room--"
Roy shook his head firmly, the action successfully silencing the younger man. Roy fixed the blonde with the most stern glare he could muster. "I want to know what happened to him this instant." Roy fought to keep his gaze steady as his eyes met melted gold. "That's an order."
Ed's entire demeanor changed following the General's command. His entire body went stiff as he rose to his full height. He looked down at his superior, his eyes a mix of countless emotions. "Due to your current condition, General," Ed began icily, stressing the title. "I will refresh your memory of how things work between us." Ed paused to lean closer to the General who had temporarily been rendered speechless by this new side of Ed. As he continued his words dropped to a cold whisper. "I follow no one's orders and I play by my own rules. I refuse to be the state's dog. No hot-shot military bastard is gonna order me around." He paused a moment to allow his words to sink in. "You help me find the stone and I'll do military shit for you. But know this, I answer to no one."
Roy, who had remained silent throughout the majority of the speech, met the angry eyes of the braided man. He was undeterred by Edward's rant. "Regardless of the way things work," He began, his tone equally dangerous. "I will not have a subordinate of mine display the amount of disrespect you have just shown and leave scott-free."
Ed's eyes narrowed in response, but Roy pressed on.
"However, you are lucky no one witnessed your performance, ergo I see no reason to take disciplinary actions."
Ed sneered at him, the expression seeming foreign to his young face. "Ah, now there's the teme-sama we all know." He proceeded to mock salute the General. "Welcome back, sir."
"Fullmetal, mind your place!" Roy barked, his onyx eyes flashing angrily. Ed responded with an equal amount of venom.
"If knowing my place, General, means I have to serve power hungry assholes like you and Bradley, then I'd sooner die than fall in line!"
"Don't you dare group me with that man!" Mustang's temper, which had been hanging on by a mere thread for some time now, finally snapped. "I am nothing like him!" He roared, the strength of the conviction in his words taking Ed by surprise. "That bastard--"
Abruptly Roy's tirade was cut short as his body suddenly grew taunt. What seemed like a soul piercing shudder ran down his body as his eyes went strangely unfocused . Moments that seemed more like an eternity to Ed passed before Roy pitched forward, his body still wracked with an involuntary shaking, as his head coming to rest on Edward's shoulder. Ed held the older man's body close, hoping to still the unexpected attack as the feeling of Mustang's breath coming as warm gasps on his neck further unnerved him. Finally stilling, the General's body relaxed into Ed's grip and his breath slowed until it was only a warm caress.
Ed sat on the floor, having finally allowed Roy's weight to overbalance him. He was too focused on the body in his arms to pay heed to the way Mustang's weight was awkwardly distributed on his legs, or the dull bite of an automail limb digging into his flesh leg. His sole objective in that moment was to soothe Roy.
Ed ghosted his hands over Roy's back in a soothing motion. He could feel the strong muscles of Roy's back quiver under the touch through the thin t-shirt the General wore. The realization forced Edward to repress a shudder of his own. A scowl crossed the blonde's features as he pressed such thoughts back.
By this time Roy's shudders had subsided, yet neither man released their hold on the other. They remained that way, huddled on the floor in the middle of the deserted hall, until Roy's breaths had slowed to the point that Ed feared the man to be asleep. Ed pulled back slightly, but the General's fists continued to clutch at Ed's red jacket.
"Roy…?" Ed prodded gently, attempting to ease out of the death grip Roy held him in. All of his anger was forgotten when he saw the haunted look Roy now possessed. In that moment, Roy reminded Ed of a scared child, not of the strong General he'd come to know. "You had another flashback, didn't you?"
Roy pulled himself from Ed's grasp, gingerly easing himself back to his knees. He flinched when the pressure met his artificial limb, causing a sharp pain to course through his leg. He fought back a pained hiss. Nearly overwhelmed by the searing pain and the mental exhaustion brought on by the attack, Roy chose to simply nod in reply to Ed's question.
Sensing the older man's exhaustion, Ed chose not to push the matter any further. Instead, he rose to his feet and offered his superior a hand up. A frown creased Edward's brow as he remembered Roy had yet to try out his new automail. As if to prove his point the General rubbed his artificial kneecap tentatively, his eyes belying the discomfort he was too proud to openly admit.
Ed lowered his hand and dropped to one knee beside Roy, wordlessly slipping the strong arm around his shoulders. He thought he saw a faint blush make it's way across the General's cheeks but dismissed the thought. After all, the General simply did not blush.
"Put your weight on me." Ed instructed gently.
Roy did as he was told, albeit a bit reluctantly. No further words were exchanged and with their combined efforts, the pair managed to maneuver Roy back into the wheelchair.
A tense silence fell between them as Ed positioned himself behind the wheelchair, hands gripping the handles tighter than necessary. Both men were left to their own thoughts as they made the journey back to the medical ward in complete silence. Upon reaching Roy's temporary room Ed allowed Washu to take over the task of getting Roy settled into the bed. He stood just inside the room, waiting only until he saw Roy was taken care of before turning to leave.
Roy's eyes had remained on the braided blonde since they had reached the room, but Ed had remained ignorant to this fact. Despite his efforts to remain nonchalant where the blonde was concerned, Roy could not dampen the surge of panic he felt when Ed turned to leave. "Edward--"
Ed's back stiffened when he heard Roy call his given name. Ever since Roy had regained a bit of his memory following his first attack, the General had only referred to him as 'Fullmetal'. Ed was shocked to realize just how much he liked the sound of his name on the General's lips. Still, his resolve held strong.
"I'll be back tomorrow." He promised, still not turning to look at the General. Ed knew that if he allowed himself to turn, to look at Roy one last time before he left, that he would remain there for the rest of the night. At that moment, that was the last thing either of them needed. Ed needed to get away for a while, and Roy needed to rest. That was all there was to it.
"But--"
"Have a nice night, General."
And with that, Ed left.
R-2-F
Three o'clock that morning found two men at Central restless. One man, a blonde, paced the confines of his room like a caged tiger. The other man, older than the first, lay awake in his bed as sleep refused to claim him. The men, though very different, had very similar reasons behind their unease. Both of their thoughts ran wild, refusing to give their mind the rest they so desperately needed. As the hours wasted away, so did their patience.
Finally, as the clock struck half past three, the blonde man left his room with a defeated sigh. He hesitated just outside his door, catching a glimpse of the room's other occupant through the half shut portal. A suit of armor was on the bed opposite of his, the suit's long legs hanging over the edge of the bed. Despite the seemingly uncomfortable position, the armor seemed quite content.
With another sigh, the blonde carefully shut the door and made his way to the other end of the hospital, unaware that the man he sought was still awake.
Ed carefully cracked open the door that lead to Mustang's room, jumping in surprise when onyx eyes fixed on him from within the room. Sensing he was caught, Ed eased the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside before closing the door behind him. His eyes refused to leave the ground.
Roy studied Edward carefully, noting the dark circles under his eyes that had not been present the last time they'd met. The blonde seemed drained of his energy, and it looked like even the task of standing was too great for his worn body to handle by the way he leaned most of his weight against the door.
Without a word, Roy scooted more to the side of the bed, careful not to jar the IV that was fixed to his hand. He lifted the covers in a silent invitation, one that the braided man seemed to understand. Ed moved across the room and sat carefully on the edge of the bed, casting an uncertain glance at Roy.
"Are you sure this is okay?" Ed asked, giving Roy a glimpse of how truly vulnerable he could be at times. Not once since Roy had awoken nearly a week ago had Edward displayed any hint of uncertainty or hesitance. But in that moment, in the wee hours of the morning, Roy felt he was given a glimpse of the boy that was really Edward Elric.
Roy offered a small smile of apology when he realized he'd spaced out, lost in his own thoughts. "I couldn't sleep either."
That simple statement seemed to be all the reassurance Ed needed. The blonde slipped into the bed next to Roy and carefully slipped his arms around the older man's waist. The blonde was careful not to jar any of Roy's injuries or the IV in his attempt to get comfortable. The simple act warmed Roy in ways he hadn't known possible.
Roy waited until Ed seemed to have settled down to lower his arm and the covers, letting his arm rest over Ed's hip. Roy's other arm was stretched out on the bed and served as Ed's pillow. Unconsciously both men entwined their legs in an attempt to get as close as possible to the other.
"I'm sorry about earlier." Ed whispered timidly. He was reluctant to break the comfortable silence that had befallen them, but he had to get this off of his chest. "I shouldn't have--"
"Hush now," Roy admonished softly, absentmindedly kissing the blonde's forehead. "Leave such matters to be dealt with tomorrow. For now, rest."
Ed blushed as he felt the kiss pressed to his forehead and in turn tucked his head under Roy's chin. It was amazing how well their bodies fit together. They locked together perfectly, as if made solely for each others arms. It was enough to make both men forget how awkward this situation should have been; after all, they were both grown men sleeping in the same bed, together. But there was nothing awkward about it. In fact, it felt completely right.
Edward found himself being lulled to sleep by the steady heartbeat he could feel beneath his palm. The sound was comforting, it was sure and strong- just like Roy. The blonde blushed lightly as that particular thought occurred to him, but he stubbornly fought it down.
"Goodnight…Roy." He sighed, finally giving into the lull of sleep. He felt Roy smile against his hair in reply.
"Goodnight, Edward."
R-2-F
Author's Note: WOW! Another fairly long chapter! I must say, I'm quite pleased with how this chapter turned out. I'm still a bit unsure of the argument, but I liked the ending. Sugary sweet to make up for the lack of Roy/Ed in the last chapter.
A huge thanks to my sister and Beta, eirisbadluck, for helping me with this chapter-and this story! Thanks to her I figured out just where I want this story to go and how I'm going to get it there. When to psychotic minds get together to scheme, it can only be a good thing (I hope!). I have a lot in store for you guys.
Until next time!