cries I can't believe it! I've done it again:'( Im such a terrible author, I don't know what I keep doing! But i've fixed the dreadful Ctrl + C glitch, and I swear ill shoot myself if i do it again...
Chapter 17: The Secret
Roy Mustang leaned against the window, staring as snowflakes slowly began to turn into rain, pounding on the roof of the car. The weather was definitely strange here. The sky was already bordering on thunder storm, when it had been snowing gently just a half an hour ago. His father was driving at an amazing 10 miles an hour so as not to go off the side of the road, as it was sheeted in water and thin layers of ice. The wipers were on full-speed, squeaking as they made their way across the windshield, boring into his thoughts. But the weather was the last thing on his mind.
That creature- homunculus Edward called it- was back. And how did he know about Hughes? He couldn't. That was impossible. That was something Roy had left behind him a long time ago, and had hoped never to have to face it again. But that homunculus...he must have to know what the person looked like before he transformed, he couldn't just do that. But how could he have found out? And...what had he done to Ed?
Roy looked down beside him, Edward had fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder, and it took much self-restraint on his part to leave him as he was. After all, his parents were in the car.
Envy had nearly killed him so easily. How? Damnit...He wasn't going to let this happen again, no way. He took Ed's hand in his own, low enough that his parent's couldn't see even if they did look back. Hm, what would his parents say? If they found out...
Roy sighed and continued staring out the window, he thought he saw lightning flash somewhere in the distance. He leant his head on the arm rest and let himself drift off into a dreamless sleep until they reached home.
-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-
Roy awoke as the car came to a halt in their driveway, which he could now barely see through the water-stained windows. He could see a few of the lights on, as it was nearly pitch black despite all the stars, and heard his father open up the door in the back of the car.
He turned around, halting him in waking Ed from his comatose state.
"You won't be able to wake him up, anyway." He said. "Here," Roy unfastened his seatbelt and then Edward's, taking him in his arms carefully and scooting out of the car. He walked up the cast-iron staircase to the small porch, staring at the blond in his arms. The rain slid gently down his face, and he frowned in his sleep, snuggling closer to his only source of warmth.
Ed's eyes opened just as Roy's mother unlocked the door for them, but he stayed quiet as Roy carried him up to the attic and placed him down on the blankets. Roy stood up again and began walking down the stairs to his room, thunder crashed in the background.
"Roy..." Ed said quickly, sitting up from the floor, making Roy pause and look up from the stairs.
"Yes?" He asked, somewhat confusion in his black eyes.
"G-Goodnight." Ed said, laying back down and pulling the blankets over his head. Roy smiled in response.
"Goodnight." He said, turning off the light and quietly walking back downstairs. He went into his room and pulled off his clothes until he was left in his boxers, getting into his bed and staring, sleepless, at the ceiling.
Why did everything always happen to him? Ah well. He couldn't say his life was boring.
He rolled over and looked out the window, the storm picked up somewhat, the wind beating against the house, luring him into a light doze as he thought of the previous events.
And somewhere in the house, shadows stirred.
A dark figure inched itself along the walls, silent as the darkness itself, creeping down the stairways, searching. It paused a moment, eyes narrowing, looking for any source of life. A blinding lightning bolt flashed outside the window, but the being in the shadows had disappeared. It continued down the hallway, speeding up as it got closer to a doorframe. It quietly pushed the door in, creaking it open and looking at the figure sleeping in the bed, his dark hair covering his face, breathing shallowly. The shadowed being drew back quickly, staring at the doorframe but making no move.
Ed sighed.
"This is stupid." He said to himself, turning around and starting towards the staircase again. "Besides, theres no point in waking him up, anyway." Just then, Roy sat up in bed, peering cautiously at the doorway.
Edward froze.
"Who's there?" Roy called from his room.
Damnit! Ed cursed mentally.
He'd just leave...pretend he never left his room...that sounded like a good idea.
Thunder crashed.
"It's me!" He said, sticking his head inside the doorframe, smiling nervously. Roy got out of bed, standing in the middle of the room, staring at the intruder.
"What are you doing?" He asked, sleepiness lacing his voice.
"Well...uh, You know, I was...I...was...going to the bathroom! B-but I...got lost in the dark...so..." He stuttered, making feeble hand motions and sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone. After a few minutes of strange looks and more rambling, the sky lit up a brilliant purple and a large crash of thunder surrounded the house, sending Edward under the covers of Roy's bed.
Roy blinked stupidly, still catching on to the swift motion. He turned around and looked at the little lump under the sheets, failing miserably to contain his laughter.
"You...You're afraid of thunder, aren't you!?" He clasped his side as he continued laughing at the terrified blond covered in the mass of bedsheets. His laughter came to a sudden halt when Edward emerged from the sheets, his face full of rejection, anger, fear, and misery as he slowly crawled from the bed and began tramping back to the door. He frowned and crossed his arms, flinching terribly when a small bolt of lightning hit in the distance.
"Whats wrong with me. I've done it a hundred times before. I always got over it before. I don't need you. I don't..." He muttered pathetically, reaching for the doorknob.
"E-Edward, wait-!" Roy put his hand on top of Ed's, stopping him from opening the door.
"Im sorry...I didn't mean to make fun of you."
Edward's hand was shaking as he continued talking to himself quietly.
"I have. I've done it hundreds of times. They keep coming back. I can get over it by myself. I always did. There used to be that closet in moms room. I used to hide in there. That always worked. Or maybe Alphonse's bed is still where it is. I can fit under there, too."
Roy gasped silently.
"You...You've had to stay in this house by yourself for nearly 80 years...and, you hide in the closet?" He asked, staring down at the blond.
"Where else would I go?" He replied. "Even when mom was alive, she was always asleep, I couldn't wake her. And I'd never ask Alphonse for help, I couldn't let him know that I was afraid..."
"You mean...you've always been alone in storms?" Roy continued. Edward nodded. The lightning flashed again, and Roy sprung forward and clutched Edward to his bare chest, his eyes gathering moisture.
"The attic..." Ed carried on, "I was stuck in the attic for about 40 years, it...it shifts. The house is ancient, and it's four stories high! You...You can actually feel the attic moving under your feet. Swaying back and fourth. It's so scary..." He grabbed Roy's waist, holding onto him like his life depended on it.
"You poor thing..." Roy whispered. He took Ed over to his bed, never letting him go, and at the little lump under the sheets, failing miserably to contain his laughter.
"You...You're afraid of thunder, aren't you!?" He clasped his side as he continued laughing at the terrified blond covered in the mass of bedsheets. His laughter came to a sudden halt when Edward emerged from the sheets, his face full of rejection, anger, fear, and misery as he slowly crawled from the bed and began tramping back to the door. He frowned and crossed his arms, flinching terribly when a small bolt of lightning hit in the distance.
"Whats wrong with me. I've done it a hundred times before. I always got over it before. I don't need you. I don't..." He muttered pathetically, reaching for the doorknob.
"E-Edward, wait-!" Roy put his hand on top of Ed's, stopping him from opening the door.
"Im sorry...I didn't mean to make fun of you."
Edward's hand was shaking as he continued talking to himself quietly.
"I have. I've done it hundreds of times. They keep coming back. I can get over it by myself. I always did. There used to be that closet in moms room. I used to hide in there. That always worked. Or maybe Alphonse's bed is still where it is. I can fit under there, too."
Roy gasped silently.
"You...You've had to stay in this house by yourself for nearly 80 years...and, you hide in the closet?" He asked, staring down at the blond.
"Where else would I go?" He replied. "Even when mom was alive, she was always asleep, I couldn't wake her. And I'd never ask Alphonse for help, I couldn't let him know that I was afraid..."
"You mean...you've always been alone in storms?" Roy continued. Edward nodded. The lightning flashed again, and Roy sprung forward and clutched Edward to his bare chest, his eyes gathering moisture.
"The attic..." Ed carried on, "I was stuck in the attic for about 40 years, it...it shifts. The house is ancient, and it's four stories high! You...You can actually feel the attic moving under your feet. Swaying back and fourth. It's so scary..." He grabbed Roy's waist, holding onto him like his life depended on it.
"You poor thing..." Roy whispered. He took Ed over to his bed, never letting him go, and staightened out the covers, putting him down gently. He pulled the sheets up over Edward, getting in the bed himself.
"Look," he said, turning on his side to face Ed. "You're not alone anymore." He pointed out. Edward looked up at him in sheer admiration for a minute, before another round of thunder fired up outside the house. He flinched, ducking under the covers quickly.
Roy wrapped his arms around Ed, pulling his (small) frame against him and stroking his head softly. Edward sank into him, the motion more soothing than anything else at the moment. His mother used to stroke his head sometimes. Usually when he'd done something bad. But that wasn't the point.
Roy slowly raked his hands through the others braid, undoing the tie at the bottom and letting his hair fall out onto the pillow. He smiled to himself, still combing Edward's hair with his fingers. He could smell homebaked cookies again...it was wonderful. He wanted to stay like this forever, with Ed. Roy looked down into his lovers eyes, and they just lay there for a long time, the thunder and lightning forgotten as they thought of nothing but one another.
Edward fell into a deep sleep, no longer caring what happened, just happy to be with Roy. Right now, Roy Mustang was the only person in the world Edward trusted. His only friend. But he felt more protected just being in his presence than he would with a hundred armies surrounding him. He hadn't been this happy in a long time, and he used that to his advantage.
Roy leaned down, placing a kiss on Edward's cheek, smiling. His cheeks were the one thing that gave away his age. They rounded in just the right spot to give him that baby-ish look that Ed himself so despised. Roy thought they were the cutest part about him. Though he would never tell, as he did value his face in the arrangement it was. He cupped the boy's face in his hand, brushing against it with his thumb and making sure not to wake him. He found himself smiling once again, sighing softly as he let the steady pounding of rain lull him to sleep.
-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Whazzit...?"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Roy! Get up for school! Are you awake? Im coming in!"
Roy sighed and rolled over, reality hitting him when he realized just what, or who he was holding in his arms.
"Ah!" He made a choking noise, not knowing what to do. "Im up! You don't need to come in!" He shouted, but it was too late, his mother was already opening the door.
Roy looked around frantically, before hissing 'Get up!' At Edward, and resulting in pushing him off the bed and underneath it.
"Are you up yet?" His mother opened the door, giving him a questioning look. "What are you doing?"
"Uh...Getting ready for school."
"Okay, Im going to go wake up your friend."
"No-!" Roy shouted, shifting his feet when his mother looked up at him. "I mean, Ill wake him up." He said, giving a small sigh in relief.
"Oh. Okay." She said, shrugging and trudging back down the hallway in her slippers to get the rest of his brothers up.
Roy collapsed on his bed, receiving a (very) tiny 'ow.' in response.
"Yeah, get up." He said, raising his leg and slamming it down on the mattress. Edward rolled out from underneath immediately and muttered something incoherent.
"What was that?"
"I don't know." Ed replied in a half-hearted answer with no tone.
"Why not?"
"My brain...is off." Ed finished the sentence with difficulty, forgetting how he started it for a second. Roy growled in annoyance and gave up, looking for something to wear.
"Ed, do you know where my shirt..." He turned around, sighing. "Edward." He spoke with the tone of an annoyed mother.
"Give me my shirt back." He stuck out a hand, but Ed just grinned and shook his head.
"I much prefer the view like this, thanks..."
"I thought your brain was off." Roy continued, now trying to find his pants. Edward snickered uncontrollably.
"You turn me on." He broke out into an immature laugh, though Roy couldn't help but smirk. He stepped forward and snatched his shirt from Ed, leaving to go take a shower.
"Noooo!" As soon as Roy left the room, Edward was left to his usual 0.1KB of memory space that occupied his brain in the morning.
-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-
Roy walked into the room, unsuspecting of the hyper blond that glomped him as soon as he entered the doorway.
"You smell good..." Ed said, clinging to Roy as he inched his way towards his backpack.
"Are you on crack?" He replied bluntly. Edward was usually very strange in the mornings, but today he was acting different.
Ed shrugged in return.
Roy sighed. "Come on, let's get to school." He said, prying the younger off of him and heading out the door.
They were graced that day with not being tormented on the bus, the students had finally moved on to another target, leaving them to blend in with the rest of the crowd.
Little did they know that today was not going to be good.
Not good at all...