Chapter 5
First Day – Part 5
Lunch
Edward exited his second period class and entered the white, green-speckled, tile hallway.
"Edward." He turned to see Winry catching up to him.
"Hey, Winry." Ed continued his tread into the hallway, once again sticking his hands in his pants pockets.
"Where're you going?" She matched his pace.
Ed "hmm'd" annoyedly, "To meet Al."
"Oh great; I'll go with you."
"Why?" Ed raised an eyebrow to her.
Winry's face scrunched up in a sneer. "Keep in mind I haven't been able to see Al since I got home." Ed's brow furrowed almost apologetically as his shoulders slumped causing him to lean forward irritatedly. "I also want to show you guys where me and the others hang out."
"And willingly set foot in the same room as that bastard Mustang? No thanks." Edward was in the position as before, but was now looking towards the corner of his eye – in the opposite direction of Winry.
"How can you call him that if you've only just met him?
"How can you stand his smarmy attitude ~tch."
Winry scrunched her face again.
They were nearing the front office when they spotted Alphonse. He was speaking with another boy with dark hair and glasses. The bespectacled boy was speaking when Winry and Edward came within hearing range.
"-think you'll like them. They were pretty nice to me when I was new..." The boy stopped to look over at the duo. "Hey, Winry," he waved.
"Hey, Fuery." Winry waved back.
Fuery looked at Ed next. Ed stared back. Why's he smiling at me? If he's got somethin' ta say –
"Hi there, you must be Alphonse's brother."
Ed blinked,"Oh, uh, yeah."
"Nice to meet you. My name's Kain Fuery, but everyone calls me Fuery." He stuck his hand out.
Ed's earlier thoughts were dismissed as he took on a smile which grew into a smirk. He took Fuery's hand in his. "Likewise. Name's Ed."
"Come on guys, the other's are waiting for us."
"Can't we get some food first...?" Ed ask innocently.
Winry and Fuery looked at Ed, and blanched. Fuery placed a hand over his mouth, shuddered, then tried to compose himself,"You're better off just bringing something from home," he offered an apologetic close-eyed smile. He brightened up,"Oh, except for Thursdays – they serve doughnuts!"
Ed and Al looked at each other, sweat-dropping.
The for headed for the history department of the school. They entered a classroom containing Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, and two others Ed didn't recognize, but whom Al seemed to.
"Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, this is Ed, Alphonse's older brother." Fuery acquainted the three,"Ed, this is Maria and Brosh."
"Hi there," Maria greeted, "How's it going?" Brosh smiled.
"And guys, this is Alphonse, Ed's younger brother. Al, this is Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, and Jean Havoc," Winry gestured towards Al then to the other three.
Al slightly bowed to them then returned to his normal posture,"Hello, thank you for taking care of Winry and my brother."
"Geez Mustang, you continue to gain new members and I might have to just report you guys for creating a gang. Not a good idea to get the new kids in on it either, people might think you're up to something."
The youths all looked toward the door to see a man with burnt orange hair in a buzz-cut and a thick figure with disinterested eyes and a wry smirk.
"Geh – I would never allow a gang to be established in my classroom Mr. Breda." The voice was a little comically stressed. "And please don't tease the students like that." The voice came from the classroom's teacher, a tall, middle-aged, gray-haired, squinted-eyed man, sitting at his desk in the corner of the front of the class.
"Relax, just tryin'a mess with 'em Falman."
"Hey Breda," Mustang greeted. "Hm... Where's Hughes and Armstrong?"
"Armstrong's having lunch of campus and Hughes had to head over to the university for somethin'."
"Hey wait," Alphonse voiced,"how did you know we were new?"
Ed looked at Al and then at Breda and wondered the same.
"Oh let me tell you. See teachers and staff return to school a week before school starts in order to make sure everything's set up right. We get our class rosters then, too. However, this time's a little different. Principal calls in a meeting with some of the teachers about some new students we're getting. Normally this wouldn't be such a big deal, but imagine our mix of surprise and skepticism when Grumman announces the sons of an East University bigwig, a bigwig who happens to be friends with Grumman himself, were genius-level prodigies, as expressed by the principal himself, were transferring to our school in the up and coming semester."
"In short, to the staff, you're kind famous."
With that, everyone was paused. Al was dumbfounded. Winry looked at Ed. Havoc and Hawkeye were awestricken – Havoc's mouth hanging open – along with Brosh and Maria's. Fuery looked at Al. And Mustang, at first caught off-guard, quickly recovered and discreetly glanced at both Elric's with some scrutiny.
Everyone watched Edward, bangs covering his face, silently move to and sit down in a chair. They watched for a beat or two before Ed grabbed the desk and began violently bang his face to the desk. But before anyone could stop him, at around the third or fourth violent head bang, Edward shot out of the seat.
"I'm sorry is there a closet or something around here?" Ed looked to Falman and Breda.
Falman was the only one to answer for Breda was too flabbergasted to say anything, though Falman wasn't too far off from being just as speechless. "Yeah... in the back..."
"Thank you." Ed briskly walked into the designated closet, walked in and closed the door.
1... 2... 3 –
-MUFFLED RAGING ANGER-
The only audible thing said was, "– stupid bastard with the face of a bastard," as Ed was coming out of the classroom closet after his tirade.
"-sighing- Nothing like a good rant to vent out some frustration," Ed said nonchalantly, his voice relaxed while he adjusted the top of his hooded jacket. He stopped when he noticed everyone's eyes on him. "What?" His face was big-eyed and subtly confused, like a child.
"Um, brother..."
"Huh, yeah, Al?"
"Can you try and not scare away our new friends on our first day here? Save it 'til at least day five."
"Oh, uh, sorry about that," Edward apologized awkwardly.
"I guess it's true what they say, then," everyone place their eyes on Mustang and away from the brothers,"the vertically challenged do have a volatile temper."
. . .
He just called me short didn't he.
Alphonse placed a hand over his brother's mouth before the older blond's explosion could detonate.
"Maybe a better idea not to piss off the chief too much, eh Mustang?" Havoc remarked.
Mustang to Havoc to reply – "I agree with Havoc, Roy." Hawkeye's agreement carried some sting in Mustang's given name.
Mustang deflated somewhat. He tossed up his hands in mock defeat,"Fine. I'll knock it off." For now.
"UEEAGH, BROTHER!"
Once again everyone's focus was on the brother-ed blonds.
Winry sweat-dropped at the site.
Alphonse had yanked his hand away from Edward.
"Well that's what you get for stickin' your hand on my face."
"So you licked my hand?"
"That's right," Ed adopted a defiant look by closing his eyes, turning slightly away and placing his arms crossed over his chest.
-SMACK-
Alphonse's hand collided with Edward's face – saliva included.
"AGH, AL THAT'S FREAKING GROSS!"
"THAT'S EXACTLY MY POINT!"
"AH, WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" Winry had stewed in annoyance at the brothers' actions and finally burst.
Both boys stopped immediately, most likely out of fear.
Please don't hurt us Winry, please don't hurt us, please? Alphonse pleaded in his mind.
Even as she angrily stared them down and Ed and Al looked ready to beg for their lives, the others in the class laugh the antics of the three childhood friends from Resembool.
Ed's Tirade:
"AHHHHH! THAT IDIOT! WHENEVER HE'S INVOLVED - AGH! HE MESSES EVERYTHING UP! CAN'T WE GO ONE DAY WITHOUT ANY SORT OF REPUTATION PRECEDING US! Tch- I should knock him out - damn Hohenheim - that stupid bastard with the face of a bastard."