Chapter 6: Clouding conspiracies
--
The next day Edward and Alfons continued their work on Azure where they had let go the previous one. The engine was in the process of being near finished, and Edward sat with his legs crossed, clapping and transmutation the final parts.
Alfons sat on his knees beside him, hovering focussed over the engine and once in a while finding himself watching Edward's performance a little dreamily. They hadn't had any help from anywhere in developing this engine since no aircraft engine existed in this world. Edward had more or less developed his own version of the one they had used for one of their projects in Munich. It was already quite common to use a type of rotary engine with two pistons in Germany, but Edward had developed the type they had used. A rocket engine was all in all quite different than an airplane engine. The airplane engine was for instance much heavier, and the common rotary engine had a lot of limitations. But Edward was confident that his theories would be safe. Azure's engine would have four pistons, which would increase the power of the machine by double of what was normal.
After Alfons had checked that the pistons inside the cylinder walls had clearance to the wear limit, they had started working with connections to the first cockpit. Edward had decided that it would be two cockpits, one for each person on board.
As they worked the time was flying away, and at noon Alfons practically had to drag Edward out of the warehouse in order to keep their lunch appointment with the two girls.
"This is a waste of time," Edward muttered sourly. He walked slowly behind Alfons on the pavement of the main street in Central, looking equally disgruntled as he sounded.
"It's not," Alfons insisted. "Aren't they people you've missed while you've been gone? You should at least grant them some time now that you're finally back, especially Winry."
"What do you know, anyway?" Edward scowled.
Alfons shrugged. "It just doesn't seem fair to them."
Edward snorted, but didn't reply any further.
Alfons didn't mean to make decisions for Edward, but why didn't he want to see them? All they had done was to let him know that they had missed him and helped him get back on his feet. Literally.
Winry and Scheiska were already sitting by a table when Edward and Alfons arrived at the small cafe. Winry waved enthusiastically at them and Scheiska beamed.
"Hey, you're late," Winry said.
"We were working," Edward replied quietly and slumped down next to her. Alfons sat down beside Scheiska, who looked terribly nervous for some reason, but he didn't pay any mind to it. Maybe she wasn't used to his looks either yet.
"How's it going with the fl—?" Winry stopped by the look she received from Edward and waved her hands to get herself out of the near slip. "I mean... with Azure?" Luckily she hadn't mentioned the word 'flying machine' out loud. There were a lot of other people at the cafe.
"Fine," Edward replied. "Are we going to eat or not?"
Alfons wanted to punch him in the head for being so rude, but Scheiska laughed timidly. "Sure, let's order something. What do you want?" she asked Alfons.
Alfons shrugged, feeling a little more reticent than he really wanted to. "I don't know, I'm not so used to eat out at places like this." That was true. He couldn't remember the last time he had ate out somewhere in his own world, other than at his apartment or at work. He smiled politely at her. "I'll have what you have."
Scheiska's looked to be a little taken aback and laughed shortly. "Oh, okay, I'll just have toast I think," she said. "Have you had toast before?"
"Yeah," he said and laughed. Maybe this girl thought he was some nerd that never got out much. Maybe he was, after thinking about it.
Winry gave Scheiska a look that Alfons couldn't read, before she turned and beamed at Edward. "What will you have, Ed?"
Edward had crossed his arms while leaning his back towards the wall behind the bench he was sitting on. "The same. Whatever."
Winry's smile faded a little, but she didn't say anything of it. The waitress approached them with a smile and took their orders and left.
"So," Winry said. "What did you guys study at the University?"
Alfons and Edward exchanged a small stare across the table.
"We studied a new type of technology and mechanics," Alfons replied carefully. Saying the word rocketry out loud in public in this world wouldn't be a good idea for the same reasons as saying 'flying machine'. Edward looked pleased with his reply.
"Oh, that's interesting," Scheiska said pensively. "What kind?"
"Vehicles," Edward said.
"Like cars and boats?" Scheiska asked.
Winry understood what they couldn't talk about out loud and gave Edward an apologizing look on behalf of her friend.
"Something like that," Edward just said, shrugging.
"Oh, I see," Scheiska said in awe.
"It was quite general," Alfons added.
Winry smiled at Alfons. "Which city are you from?"
"Mu... Anothoya," he said, pretending that he hadn't almost slipped his tongue.
"Anothoya? That's not very far from Rizembool," Winry noted. "I'm there a lot, buying automail parts and such."
"Oh, really." Alfons silently wished he didn't have to lie to anyone to get to know them. He would rather much want to tell them about Munich and Germany. He wanted to say that Munich was the most beautiful place in the world in the summer. He didn't feel like he could say anything of that sort about Anothoya. He had never been there, and it would only make him more of a liar.
"Yeah, they're quite famous in the automail business," Winry said. "You probably know that since you're from there."
"Sure," Alfons said, beaming nervously. He knew he was out on dangerous waters right now. He didn't know anything particular of this town, at least Mustang hadn't mentioned anything about that, but he guessed he hadn't any other choice than to just agree with her.
Edward looked a little pensive from Scheiska to Winry.
"Did you go to Rizembool sometime?" Winry asked Alfons.
"Not much... My mother was sick a lot." At least that wasn't a lie. Alfons was relieved that the food arrived just then and he had a reason to not keep talking about himself. The waitress put down a plate in front of each of them, and there was a short silence as she disappeared.
Edward attacked his food like he hadn't seen some for weeks. "For how long are you staying in Central?" he asked Winry with his mouth full.
She gave him a look that could be reminded of a mother towards her impolite child. "Swallow first, you idiot," she said. "I don't know, I—"
"There's no point for you hanging around here," Edward interrupted her, but he had swallowed his food before speaking this time.
Winry became silent, looking questioningly – or possibly hurt – at him.
"When we get Al back we'll probably head for Rizembool right away," Edward continued. "I want to get him home. So, it's better if you stay there and wait for us."
Winry's features softened. "I see." She faltered a little, before smiling again. "Alfons is coming too, right?"
"Of course he is," Edward said without a question.
Alfons felt his heart growing warm by those words. It was good to know that Edward saw it as obvious that he came along.
"Do you know where Al is?" Winry asked quietly.
"Not yet," Edward said, looking down in his plate. "But I'll find out."
"You're very optimistic," Scheiska said, laughing nervously. "That's great."
Edward went silent, and Alfons felt he had to say something to prevent another awkward silence.
"Our work will hopefully give the military a good card against Thule," he said in a low voice, but in an uplifting tone. "It will help us find out their location."
Edward nodded. "Since we think Al is there, the military will follow them as soon as they show up again or make a mistake."
Winry and Scheiska exchanged a worried look.
Edward noticed that Alfons put the last bit of his toast into his mouth and rose from the bench. "It's alright," he said. "I'll definitely find him." He put some money on the table which would undoubtfully cover Winry's train ticket as well as their meal, and looked at Alfons. "But only if we can get some work done."
Alfons nodded, smiling softly. A short trip, but it had to do. He addressed Winry and Scheiska. "It was nice meeting you."
"See you," Winry said. "And Edward..."
Edward had already started to walk, but turned when she called his name.
"Return safely," she said. There was a trace of anxiety in her voice.
Edward snorted with a smile. "Of course."
Alfons rose with a shy smile at the girls, and followed him out of the cafe.
Scheiska turned to Winry again after watching them leave, sighing deep. "I know what you mean," she said. "He seems okay, but something is definitely wrong about his appearance."
"Ed called it a coincidence, but it can't be. I know when he's lying to me," Winry said in a low voice. "Even Heiderich's personality is a lot like Al's. Careful and kind, but still like Ed. I'm so confused."
"So, you don't think it is a coincidence either, right?" Scheiska interpreted.
"Yes, and he can't be from Anothoya. He even faltered when he said where he was from," Winry continued.
"Therefore, think of the possibility," Scheiska said, a little horror-struck. "You remember that woman, Juliet Douglas? She was an alien for sure."
Winry frowned. "She was a homunculus, not an alien. And according to what Izumi-san told me, a homunculus is born through a failed human transmutation."
"And Edward did perform a human transmutation, didn't he?" Scheiska reasoned. "And it was after that he met Heiderich?"
"Yes, but he didn't fail," Winry countered. "Al is human and alive. Alfons can't be a homunculus. Even though... that would explain why he looks so much like Al. Just like that woman looked just like their..." She breathed in deep, hovering over the table and lifted her hands to her forehead. "Something is so wrong!"
"It wasn't a failed transmutation, no," Scheiska continued at their track. "But Al didn't appear like he should either, right? He should've been 15, but instead he looked like a 10-year-old when he came back."
"That's true... and Heiderich is the age Al should have been by now," Winry said silently. "Like... there was some sort of replacement." She shuddered.
"So if Heiderich is... what do we do?" Scheiska asked frightfully. "Should we tell someone?"
Winry shook her head. "No. If he's a homunculus, Edward would know anyway. He should know what to do."
Scheiska looked carefully around herself before continuing to speak, her voice lower than before. "No alien... I mean homunculus is good, right?"
Winry shrugged. "Wrath turned out to be good..."
"But still he tried to kill Ed before," Scheiska said, almost inaudibly. "They're the seven deathly sins after all, and neither are they human."
Winry shook her head. "Ed and Alfons are friends. Either if he was a homunculus, Edward would probably stand up for him, regardless of what he is."
"That's why we should tell someone," Scheiska said. "Because, what if Edward is being deceived?"
Winry rubbed her forehead in frustration. "I don't know. If we tell someone, we have to tell that he performed a human transmutation as well. If that comes out he'll be..." She couldn't even get herself to say it. It couldn't happen, no matter what.
"Not if we tell someone who already knows," Scheiska said.
"You mean Mustang?" Winry asked.
Scheiska nodded. "I know he will understand. He always seems like he doesn't care, but in the end he really cared about Hughes-san."
"Of course he did," Winry said silently. "But... what will happen to Alfons?"
Scheiska paled. "I don't know."
"What if it really is just a coincidence?" Winry said intently.
"Two guys with the same name and more or less identical looks? Besides, you said it yourself," Scheiska said reasoning. "Something is wrong, because he can't be from Anothoya."
"Yes, because then he would know that Anothoya is just a small-town, which has nothing to do with automail," Winry muttered. "I feel bad for lying to him to find out. He still doesn't seem like a bad guy..."
"People can act nice easier than you think, and suddenly they change drastically," Scheiska said. "I've read about it a lot of times! It happens to the ones you'll least expect."
Winry sighed. "I guess I should try calling Colonel Mustang when I return to Rizembool then. Just to hear what he thinks..."
--
"I'm glad we met them," Alfons said silently as they walked through the main street in Central after their short lunch date with Scheiska and Winry. "Even if it was a little uncomfortable at times."
Edward looked thoughtful. "There's something I've missed. Winry looked weird... and Scheiska even weirder. But I don't know what."
"Don't think about it," Alfons said. "It was probably nothing. Or maybe they need some time to get used to my looks."
"You're not that ugly though."
Alfons froze. Did Edward just tell a joke? He glared, but couldn't help grinning as well. "That's the most childish thing I've ever heard."
Edward shrugged and grinned sheepishly while dodging a punch from the German.
Alfons sighed, but then he suddenly became aware of the abrupt shift of expression in Edward's face. He had stopped, scowling and his eyes gazed warily back without turning around.
Alfons stopped next to him. "What is it?" he asked.
Edward didn't reply at once, only standing still. "We're being followed."
Alfons' lips parted but not a sound came out. Followed? By who? He started gazing nervously around, but Edward gripped his arm. "Don't look, or he'll notice. Just walk normally."
Alfons felt a nervous lurch in his stomach, but obliged and walked in a normal pace beside Edward as he let go of his arm.
"He was at the cafe, sitting two tables away to our left," Edward said in a low voice, stuffing his hands into his pockets like nothing was wrong.
Alfons tensed up, wondering if it might be better if Edward's guard was up. "Edward," he said nervously, lowering his voice. "What if it's..."
"Yeah," Edward replied quietly. Edward wasn't stupid, Alfons reminded himself. And his guard wasn't down. Obviously he had already thought of the possibility that it was someone from Thule Society. That they had found them...
Alfons had first thought of that now. Yes, the military had already thought of the possibility that Thule could have spies around. But if Thule found them first, they would be in dangerous trouble. What did it matter if Thule Society blew up the airplane if they just decided to kill them? With him and Edward out of the way, there would be no one who knew how to build the airplane in the first place.
Alfons' breath started to shorten and his heart was throbbing hard against his chest. He could hear his own pulse in his ears and it was almost like he could feel the eyes fixed on his neck. The possibility of an enemy that could be anywhere following them hadn't even occurred to him before now. How could he have been that ignorant? The person was probably armed as well, and they weren't.
Sudden flashes of images emerged in front of his eyes, and for some seconds he almost stopped walking, his focus totally whipped off their situation. People were fleeing from their homes, a complicated circle glowed in blue light, a little girl with red eyes stood alone crying, a beautiful red sunset... Alfons sealed his own eyes shut.
Was he going mad?
No, he was harassed. And Edward had said the images would appear when he was stressed. This was really ridiculous. The least he should have to worry about was a stupid sunset and a war that had ended ages ago.
Abruptly Edward pulled him by the arm and he was jerked out of his thoughts. With a sharp breath, he found himself in a narrow alley and Edward shoved him fast in front of him into the dimness. Feeling very startled, Alfons was about to protest just as he got pushed down behind some huge trashcans.
He shoved away what he had seen as he got forced down on his knees against the hard asphalt. He had barely been able to catch himself with his palms to prevent the fall when Edward dove down close beside him.
"Edward, what—?"
Edward put a hand in front of his mouth. "Shh!" He had a persistent look in his golden eyes as he peeked carefully through the crack between the trashcans and the wall.
Alfons was about to remove Edward's hand from him, but froze as he heard fast steps of a pair of boots very close to the empty alley. The boots stopped by the opening.
Edward frowned. He could see his legs, but not his face. He had dark pants and black boots with thick heals. The legs made some moving turns that indicated that their follower was looking around the area.
Oh God, Alfons thought. What if their follower was really after their lives? What could they do? He felt his own trembling and Edward's flesh hand tightened warningly around his mouth.
The boots disappeared out of view and moved closer, into the alley.
Edward smirked. A brave guy, daring to try to sneak up on him this way. He waited to the steps was only an inch away from spotting their hiding place, before he leaped forward with his automail ready.
Alfons gasped as Edward acted. He didn't even have time to think before Edward had clapped his hands and was all over the guy, kicking away his legs and pinning him to the ground.
Alfons crawled forward to help, but it didn't seem like Edward needed any. He had the man underneath him, with his automail transmuted to a blade against the man's throat and a dangerous glare in his eyes.
The man yelped.
"Who are you?" Edward demanded.
The man stared up at him with wide eyes, his mouth opening, but not much coherent came out.
"Are you from Thule Society?" Edward asked again, tightening the hold.
Alfons rose nervously, watching the man's face. He looked to be around thirty, had blond hair and a pair of square glasses sitting on his nose. There wasn't anything special about him, except that Alfons couldn't remember having ever seen him before. The man wasn't struggling in Edward's grasp. He was simply smiling a little sheepishly. Alfons scowled down at him, puzzled. He didn't actually look so frightening.
"Ow ow, you got me there," the man finally said, looking embarrassed and nervous. "No, I'm not from Thule Society or whatever you called it."
"Why are you following us?" Edward asked, holding his blade threateningly close to his bare throat.
"Careful with that!" the man exhaled, trying to push his head back further onto the ground to prevent his throat being rasped by the sharp blade. He took a deep breath. "Orders, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." Then he beamed. "Look in my left pocket."
Edward scowled suspiciously at him, but listened. "Alfons," he said, and Alfons understood.
He bent down on his knees beside them on the man's left side and searched his pocket, finding a small wallet while Edward still held him securely down. Alfons opened the brown leather wallet and found an ID and a badge. His name was Thomas Peterson, ranked Sergeant.
"You're... from the military?" Alfons said perplexed.
"Yeah," the man confirmed.
Edward gritted his teeth, not letting him go. "Why? Who ordered you to follow us?"
"Can't tell you why," he said. "But my superior officer Brigadier General Kiehle might know."
Both Edward and Alfons frowned at this.
"Him again," Edward muttered. "What the hell does he want?" Slowly he released the Sergeant and stood up, transmuting his arm back to normal.
The man looked relieved and stood up, brushing dust off his civilian clothes. "I hope you understand," he said apologetically, looking back at the two. "The final decisions are neither mine nor yours to make. It is my job to do what my superior officer tells me to, no questions asked. That's just how it is."
Edward crossed his arms, not looking pleased. "Fine, but keep your distance. We're heading back to the warehouses."
The man hurriedly saluted. "Yes, sir." Then he disappeared fast out of the alley.
Alfons felt his shoulders ache as he let them down. He hadn't even noticed how tense he had been the last few minutes. He looked anxiously at Edward. "What does this mean?"
Edward eyes hardened. "I highly doubt they do it because they trust us."
--
Colonel Roy Mustang was leading another truck with materials to be brought into the warehouse when the two of them returned. He immediately sensed that something was wrong, because Edward headed straight towards him, looking fairly pissed off. He stopped close in front of him, so close Mustang almost took a step back in amusement.
"Did you know?" Edward asked, offering him an unwavering glare.
"What are you talking about, Fullmetal?" he said.
"That bastard of a Briga—"
Mustang moved his hand and silenced him, swiftly taking his arm and pulled the blond away with him like pulling him by the leash, while the said blond ranted through gritted teeth. Why was he always so careless? Showing hostility against the Brigadier General in public was mainly not the best idea. Especially not while his soldiers were placed everywhere.
He shoved Edward gently inside the office next to the working area, and sighed deep as he closed the door. "I think I know what you may talk about."
"We were stalked," Edward said furiously. "And I asked, did you know?"
The Colonel rubbed his forehead. "Yes. The Fuhrer President ordered so. And I was ordered not to tell you anything."
"Why?" Edward demanded.
"Because they still think you deserted the military," he said, even though he didn't like to. "Until your hearing is over they'll take every measurement to keep an eye on you."
"Then why don't you put Havoc or anyone from your unit to do it?" Edward asked disgruntled.
Mustang sighed. "It was the Fuhrer's orders, and I'm not the one in charge of being the evil hawk."
Edward's eyes hardened and he opened his mouth to counter, but then he abruptly changed his mind as the Colonel's words sunk in. He realized that Mustang wasn't happier than him of the fact that the Brigadier General had power around the project.
"Look at it as a type of protection," Mustang offered, even though he knew Edward would never see it that way.
"I don't care," Edward muttered. "I'm not going anywhere until the plane is finished anyway."
--
The following days were loaded with lots of work. The progress on Azure didn't go as fast as Alfons first had expected, but she was forming. He tried to not let what happened come close to his mind. Edward had told him what Mustang had said, but everything seemed like the military was keeping them under surveillance, not for protection, but to be sure they wouldn't run away. After what happened Alfons was more aware of the soldiers around him as he worked, noticing how their eyes always were curiously fixed upon them. He wasn't sure if the soldiers even knew what they were actually building. Mustang wanted so few as possible to know what they were doing.
He hadn't forgotten what Colonel Mustang had told him before his interview as well. The military would rather have preferred to have them arrested, hadn't it been for the work they were doing. The military still suspected they had something to do with Thule Society, one way or another.
--
He had started peddling between being in the warehouse with Edward, and being in the other warehouse working with the fuel. But as the third day came after they started, he trusted Edward to manage by himself so he could focus his entire mind on the fuel.
Making fuel was difficult. He needed the exact reaction and colour, and it was getting pretty hot underneath the gas mask. But he was getting close to a downright product. He decided to take a small break out in fresh air and headed outside, leaning to rest against the wall while removing his mask.
The sun was still shining brightly, warming his face and he closed his eyes for a moment, breathed in deep. He realized that he liked what he was doing, despite of the circumstances. He liked to work with a project as Azure. He hoped he could continue doing something like this when they had rescued Edward's little brother and stopped Thule Society.
Maybe one day, airplanes would be as common in this world as in his own. Though in a mental note to himself, it didn't feel right thinking of the other world as his own and not this one. Both of the worlds were like one. Edward had taught him that. He belonged to both of them, and so did Edward and everyone else. That was the reason why he was working to save it.
"Having a break, Heiderich?"
Alfons jumped and opened his eyes. The Brigadier General had approached him without notice. "I'm sorry, sir," Alfons said hesitantly, straitening himself up but not sure if he was supposed to salute or something. But Kiehle didn't seem offended, so he guessed it was okay. Also he remembered the Colonel's warning about this man, and felt slightly uncomfortable about being at this distance from the rest of the crew, alone with him. It was this man who was in charge of the surveillance, after all.
"I just needed some fresh air."
Brigadier General Kiehle laughed. "Of course you were. That's all right. Do you mind if I join you for a minute?"
Alfons went pale, but didn't show any notable signs of discomfort. At least he hoped he didn't. "Not at all, sir."
The man smiled almost warmly and stood next to him with his back against the wall as well. "I know you haven't worked with the military before, Alfons," he said. "I hope the Colonel's not too harsh on you."
Alfons looked up at the older man, smiling. "It's no trouble, sir. Colonel Mustang is quite a respectable man." Alfons wondered if he just imagined the little twitch in the Brigadier's eye after he had said it.
"Indeed, he is," the Brigadier General said, smiling back. "It's just because of his stupidity that he hasn't reached a higher rank. But that's probably why he has taken charge of this little project."
Alfons wondered why he was telling him this. "Sir, I don't think the Colonel does this just to get a promotion," he said slowly.
"You don't think so?" Brigadier General Kiehle said. "Of course not. You're such a good young man. Only thinks the best of people."
Alfons kept his mouth shut at this.
"You shall know this, Alfons," the Brigadier said kindly. "If you need anything, you can come to me. Alright?"
Alfons wanted to shake his head, as in the universal signal for no. The last thing he wanted was to ask for something from this man. Just the thought of being in dept to him made him sick. But instead he just nodded politely. "Thank you, sir."
Brigadier General Kiehle smiled pleased and left him alone.
Alfons watched after him, silently thinking that the Colonel had been right. He had definitely become a better liar than he had ever been before.
--
The next day Alfons finally succeeded in getting the mixture of gasoline, salt, alcohol, anti-icing formula and all the other chemicals right. His result was an airplane fuel, ready for testing in their finished engine.
He was quite excited to see how far Edward had gotten since last time he had seen Azure. He knocked at the door where Fuery stood guard right outside, and the man came in to check if everything was alright.
"How's it going?" he asked.
Alfons greeted him with a smile. "I'm done, so I was wondering if you could help me move it over to the other warehouse." Even if he was in charge he wasn't used to order people around. Asking nicely was more of his sort of way.
"Of course," the friendly man with glasses said.
They loaded the heavy container of finished fuel onto a barrow and moved it to the other warehouse. As they came in and put down the barrow, a large blue light shone through the room, and Alfons heard some voices of awe.
Everyone was gathered around the alchemy circle, where Edward had just transmuted the shell of the plane. It really looked like a plane now. The cockpits and the tail were done, and she was standing on her own feet.
Edward made no acknowledgment of the compliments that were thrown at him. "Breda, Havoc, help me with the first wing," he said.
"Yes, boss!" Havoc replied.
Alfons smiled, and was about to call for Edward's attention, but something stopped him in the last minute.
The Brigadier General had been showing up at all times lately, and it wasn't about to change. This time he went straight towards Edward and addressed him directly.
"Major Elric," he said, stopping some meters away from him.
"One sec, I'm busy," Edward replied, directing where Havoc and Breda was to hold the first wing in place at Azure's body. The wing wasn't completely finished yet so it wouldn't be too heavy to lift.
Then the Brigadier put two fingers in his mouth and whistled, and Edward flinched at the sound.
Alfons scowled. What was going on?
Edward turned slowly to the Brigadier General, looking ready to snap.
Kiehle made a 'come over here'-sign with his finger, and pointing at a spot in front of him.
Edward approached him slowly, looking like he had a hard time stopping himself from going for the man's throat.
"I would like a private word with you," Kiehle said, as Edward stopped in front of him. "Now."
This was rather a rare occasion. The Brigadier General had never actually paid him any great mind, except when he tried to arrest him in Lior, Edward thought dryly. Before he got the chance to reply, the Brigadier General took a hold of his shoulder and shoved him towards the warehouse office.
The next second, Colonel Roy Mustang was there, right in front of Edward and forced him to stop. Edward made an abrupt halt, offering him a narrow look.
Mustang addressed the Brigadier General. "What is this about, sir?"
"No need to concern yourself in this, Mustang," Kiehle said lightly. "There is just something important I want to talk privately with Major Elric about."
Mustang felt a slight déjà vu. "It concerns me because last time I checked, Major Elric was my subordinate and not yours, Brigadier General."
Edward was standing stiff in between them, scowling by the whole situation.
Brigadier General Kiehle smiled. "Yes, I know, but I have to remind you; as my rank is higher than yours, Colonel, and I am part of this project, I have the right to speak privately with all the workers in any way I like."
Mustang wanted to reply, but Edward beat him to it.
"I don't have time for this," he said impatiently. "Just say what you want to say so I can continue working."
"Inside the office," the Brigadier General said, and Edward went the rest of the way by himself, followed by the man.
Mustang crossed his arms and sighed as Alfons stepped up to him.
Alfons couldn't help feel worried about all this. These two men were supposed to work together, weren't they? He wondered why they were enemies. But he didn't dare ask a question like that.
"Colonel," Alfons said, making the other know he was there, and Mustang turned to him.
"Ah, Alfons," he said. "How is it going at the other warehouse?"
"It's done, sir," Alfons said. "But I wanted to speak with you about something else."
Mustang listened. "What is it?"
"The Brigadier General," Alfons said, hoping he didn't cross the line. "I'm sorry for asking, but don't you feel... uneasy around him?"
Roy Mustang looked at him with a frown, and dropped his arms slowly down. "No. Why are you asking, Alfons?"
Alfons shrugged. "It seems like he's up to something. I think he tries to conspire against you. But of all, I know you can trust Edward. He has always been loyal to you, hasn't he?"
Roy Mustang looked slightly amused at him. "I suppose so. Can I ask what the Brigadier told you?"
"He said you're only in charge of the Azure-project because you want a promotion," Alfons said honestly.
Mustang snorted. "I don't care about that. I used to, though, but my prioritizing has changed even if my dream remains the same."
"What is your dream?" Alfons asked, wondering if that was something the Colonel would even answer to. It was quite a personal question. But sometimes he had trouble with keeping his curiosity in its right place.
"To become Fuhrer," the reply was.
--
"What do you want?" Edward asked, crossing his arms. "I'm not your damn lapdog."
Brigadier General Kiehle smiled deviously where he sat behind the desk. "Frankly, that's what all state alchemists are. Did the Colonel fail to mention that?"
With a solid glare, Edward just ignored the statement and said instead. "I'm in a hurry. If you don't have anything important to say, I'll go."
"In a hurry for what, Edward?" the Brigadier General asked. "It's not like that machine will fly away without you. You have all the time in the world."
Edward frowned. "What the hell do you know, anyway?" He turned to leave. He didn't want to listen to this crap. This man was maybe of much higher rank, but he wasn't his commanding officer. He couldn't do him anything.
"You should show me some more respect, Major," Kiehle said strictly, and Edward stopped hesitantly.
Still, he had the power to blab to higher-ups about indecent behaviour, and Edward didn't want to come into trouble because of something stupid as that. He needed the job to find his brother.
"I'll forgive you this once," Kiehle said smilingly.
Edward crossed his arms again, ignoring his own irritation. "I have work, Brigadier General, make it quick."
"Your eagerness is admirable," The Brigadier General chuckled. Then he said: "I was at the base in Lior when your brother disappeared."
Edward froze. Then he turned slowly towards him again. "What was that?"
"I met your little brother," Kiehle continued. "He's a smart kid, very much like you and Heiderich."
"What's your point?" Edward growled, tensing.
"The bombs were highly destructive. Have you ever seen a bomb explode, Edward?"
Edward didn't reply. He had, actually. But if someone knew, it would be hard to explain. It had been in the other world, before he met Alfons Heiderich. The first time he had seen machines fly in the sky.
"I can inform you, that there were several dead and wounded at the base in Lior when they hit. It was four of them. I suppose the Colonel never told you about that, did he?"
"No, he didn't," Edward replied, as truth was.
"It was after the fourth bomb Alphonse Elric disappeared. He had been right there, but no one saw anything of him after it hit."
Edward's eyes darkened. "What are you implying?"
"Your little brother might have been hit directly," Brigadier General Kiehle said slowly. "It is regrettable that I am the one to tell you this, but if he was hit directly... his body would be gone to pieces. Unrecognizable, little pieces."
Edward's heart beat like a drum, slamming hard into his ribcage, his fists clenching and eyes hardening. "No..." he whispered. "It can't be..."
"I have no reason to be lying to you, Edward," the Brigadier General said, seeming full of regret. "But in all probability it is a very low chance that your brother is still alive. And the Colonel knows it."
Edward's throat was lacing together and something was swelling inside his chest. Without another word he ran for the door and disappeared. He made no notion to stop as he passed Alfons and the Colonel and headed right for the door. He wanted to put as great distance between himself and the warehouse as he possibly could.
Alfons started running after him. "Edward!" he called.
Mustang took his arm and held him back. "Wait. He'll probably head for the dorms or somewhere he doesn't want to be found."
Alfons stared up at him in dread. "What the hell did the Brigadier—?"
"That's what I'd like to find out," Mustang muttered. He turned to the office where the Brigadier General came out in a slow motion.
"What did you tell him?" Mustang demanded.
"The truth, Colonel," the reply was. The Brigadier General looked totally unaffected by the scenery. He looked rather relaxed. "I told him the truth about the incident in Lior, which you yet haven't, Colonel," he stated. "That the chance his high that his brother is dead."
Alfons' eyes widened and Mustang's fists automatically clenched.
"He is only building flying machines for you because he thinks his brother is still alive, isn't that right, Colonel?" Brigadier General Kiehle charged. "Which is why you haven't told him everything about the incident, correct? You know the chances are low. That bomb hit practically right next to you." The Brigadier General shook his head. "You're quite something, Colonel. Playing other people into your hands like that, to make them do the dirty work for you."
Alfons took his wide eyes away from the Brigadier General and looked at Mustang. The Colonel's fists were shaking and his one eye was full of rage.
"This time," he said between gritted teeth. "You've gone too far." With the speed of wildfire, Mustang charged at the Brigadier with a clenched and literally burning fist. He hit the older man in the face so hard that he was thrown backwards on the ground.
"Mustang!" Alfons outburst and held him back as he was about to charge again at the already fallen man. "Stop!"
Fortunately the fire was gone as fast as it had showed up, but Alfons was really sure Mustang's gloved hand had been on fire as it hit. It was amazing and dreadful all at once.
Riza Hawkeye, Jean Havoc and the others came running for them, together with some of Kiehle's soldiers.
"Sir!" Riza called out firmly, but still sounding worried.
Mustang breathed hard, but relaxed slowly by hearing her stern voice.
The Brigadier General sat up slowly, rubbing his aching cheek. To Alfons' horror, he was smiling. This wasn't good. Had he provoked the Colonel on purpose?
But as soon as the smile had been there, it was gone like wiped away, and the Brigadier General staggered up at his feet. "Mustang," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "You know I have to report this to the Fuhrer President and the Council. You'll take the consequences of this."
With that said, he staggered out of the warehouse without looking back, followed by a couple of his subordinates.
Alfons rubbed his aching forehead. What was going to happen now? And where had Edward gone? He felt worried. Now he had to find a very upset Edward with all his hope ripped from him...
"Alfons," Mustang suddenly said, and Alfons whirled around to face him. "Find Edward and tell him that I need to talk to him."
Alfons nodded slowly. He would have to worry about the Colonel and the project later. First priority was Edward.
He started running out of the warehouse in the most probable direction Edward had gone. He would look for him at the dorms first.
Completely out of breath and aching legs, he reached the dorms and unlocked the door. "Edward?" he called breathlessly once inside. "Are you here?"
He stopped and listened closely before he stepped inside and closed the door behind himself. He noted that the door to the bathroom was closed, but he could see the light was on underneath the small gap at the foot of the doorframe.
He went to the door and knocked. "I know you're in there," he said more softly. He heard some shifting sounds. "Unlock the door, Edward."
"Leave me alone, Alfons." Edward's voice sounded husky, and a slight echo sounded from the bathroom.
"I know why you're upset," Alfons said. "Maybe you should see the Colonel... He wants to talk to you."
"No."
Alfons leaned his back towards the door, sighing deep. "Fine, I'll just wait right here for you to come out then."
He let himself slip down and sat with his back against the wall next to the door with his arms around his knees, and there he waited. Even though it got pretty boring after half an hour or two, he didn't move to find something to read or lay down on the bed instead.
Finally, after God knows how long, the lock of the bathroom door clicked and Edward opened the door. His hair was messy and loose, and his curly shirt just hung loosely over his pants, making him look like a loaf. In his hand he held his father's old coded book. Furthermore, Edward looked unusually tired.
Alfons frowned deeply up at him. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Edward stepped out of the bathroom and headed for the bed. "Reading."
Alfons helped himself getting up by supporting his back against the wall. His legs had fallen asleep. "I thought you were done reading that book," he said, confused that Edward would be reading in times like this in the first place.
"I was."
Alfons didn't understand. "What are you reading it again for?"
"To see if I've just been naive until now."
By each one of Edward's replies he understood only less and less. "What have your father's old books from Germany to do with any of this?"
"Everything." Edward sat down on his bed by the wall, his nose a few inches from the open book.
"Please, don't be like this," Alfons pleaded. Everything was going so well lately, up till now... "What makes you believe the things the Brigadier General says is true?"
Edward didn't reply. He didn't even look up from his book.
Alfons was being ignored again. He wanted to grab Edward's shoulders and shake him. But he didn't do anything more. It wouldn't be possible to get another word out of Edward anyway. The best solution would probably be to leave him alone until morning.
Alfons went to take a shower to cool himself down. At the time he got out, Edward was apparently sleeping.
He sat down by his bedside for a while, watching him and wished Edward would tell him what bothered him again. It didn't matter what it was. One of the many reasons why he was here was primarily because he wanted to be there for him. Alfons couldn't help but wonder if he was losing Edward yet again. Hadn't they only been thrown together randomly, as a result of their research in the first place? All of Edward's actions as long as he had known him had a root to his search for his little brother. And, Alfons thought miserably, even if he wanted to fight for Edward, how was he supposed to go about it? If Edward didn't care enough to tell him anything, what could he possibly do?
He was confused. Sometimes Edward gave the impression that he didn't want anything else than being with him forever, and other times the complete opposite.
Of course, this research… this mission… There were a lot on Edward's mind. Everything was temporary, anyway. Hopefully they could start an entire new life when all of this was over. Alfons forcefully pushed the dark thoughts out of his mind. There was no point in dwelling on this. He finally went to bed and shut his eyes tightly in a brave attempt to sleep, unnerved by the silence. Though he tried to fight it, his last feelings before he finally fell asleep were still made of anxiety.
--
It was late in the middle of the night when Alfons got awakened by restless steps. The only reason why he had a slight track of time was because the drapes weren't dragged to cover the bedroom window yet, and he could see a few bright stars between some threatening dark clouds on the pitch black sky.
Alfons moseyed from where he was buried inside the comforting covers and spotted Edward walking fidgety from the one end of the room to the other. He was clenching his father's book in his hands, looking sick and muttered quietly to himself.
"Edward..." Alfons said drowsily, with a heavy feeling of worry filling up his stomach.
Edward made no sign of having heard him, still walking around, his metal leg clamping heavily on the floor.
"What the hell are you doing?" Alfons asked indignantly. "Go to sleep already. You're waking everyone." They weren't the only ones living at the dorms, and the walls weren't that thick.
Edward stopped abruptly with his back to him and didn't look at him.
Alfons softened a little, calming down his irritation. Edward had been very upset and probably needed time to calm down properly. "Come here," he said, making room for him next to him. Even if the space wasn't much, they had made it through a lot of times before, and he would be there for Edward now that he needed him.
Edward turned slowly, glancing coldly at the bed. "Give me a break already," he muttered.
Alfons scowled, feeling his heart shatter. He hardly believed his own ears. Edward had hurt him before, but this was different. Alfons didn't exactly know what to think, but by the sound of his words Edward seemed to have implied that Alfons only wanted him to come to the bed because he wanted sex.
Alfons wouldn't even dream of doing something like that. He stood slowly up, clenching his fists. "Edward, what the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, making an effort to keep himself calm.
Edward started walking back and forth again, but without going near him. "Probably everything," he mumbled.
Alfons was hurt, angry and confused, and found himself trying to ask a reasonable question or something that would make Edward talk to him, but his creativity had started to run out. "Please," he said. "Tell me what's wrong."
Edward froze, and slowly his sharp golden eyes turned in his direction. "What's wrong?!" he snapped, raising his voice for each word. "What the hell do you think, Alfons?"
Alfons stayed silent, not sure what to say.
"No one fucking cares about getting him back!" Edward shouted. "Everyone thinks he's dead! All they care about is getting their hands on the airplane!"
Alfons leaped forward with his hands raised. "Shh!" Letting the entire dorms hear about airplanes wasn't the best idea... "Calm down," he said fast, waving his hands in front of him.
"No, I'm fucking not!" Edward ranted. "I'll go out and find him myself and I won't be back until I do, and after that I'll burn that fucking plane to aches!" He turned for the door and moved fast towards it, but Alfons was faster and shot forward, grabbing his arm and held him back.
Edward stopped without turning around. "Let go of me," he said in a stiff, dangerous tone.
Alfons didn't. Nothing good would come out of it if Edward was to head out in the dark alone to look for his brother.
"Don't be stupid," he said. "You don't even know where to look."
"I don't care!" Edward shouted, making Alfons jump.
"Why do you listen to him?!" Alfons shouted back. "He conspires against the Colonel, for crying out loud! He's putting you up against him to take over the project! And now he has probably done it!" To his surprise, this had its effect.
Edward fell silent, just looking at him. Maybe Edward would come to reason now.
"Don't you see?" Alfons continued in a small whisper. "He's manipulating you to stop working for Mustang."
Edward's eyes narrowed before he looked towards the door again, like the only thing he wanted was to make a run for it.
"They're all liars," he finally said in a low voice. "I don't trust any of them."
Alfons frowned again. "You don't understand. The Colonel will probably be put off charge of the project, and he is one of the few we can trust."
"No, it's you who don't understand!" Edward started again and threw the book hard across the room. It smashed against the wall beside the window and fell into a messy heap on the floor. "Who cares about a fucking plane except for those power-hungry bastards!" Edward shouted madly.
Alfons released his arm, totally taken aback. "I care. It's to get your brother back."
Edward shook his head. "No, it's to take down Thule. They don't fucking care about my brother. Al might be dead, and they don't—" His voice cracked.
Alfons moved closer, but Edward moved away from him.
"I did a mistake," Edward whispered. "A huge mistake." He leant his head against the wall, facing the concrete and his shoulders were trembling lightly.
"What are you talking about now?" Alfons abruptly gripped his shoulder. "Edward, please—"
Edward jumped and before Alfons could react, he was pushed hard back against the wall with a pair of cold hands clenching tightly around his throat. His eyes widened by the sudden attack, and he struggled for some seconds without any luck. Edward had always been stronger than him. The metal hand made it even more uncomfortable. Alfons gasped as the hands tightened, but managing to keep his calm and stopped trying to get free, despite that he was getting pierced with a dangerous look in Edward's gold.
Edward had never looked at him like that before. It scared him as hell. But Edward would never dream to hurt him. Right?
Or maybe Edward was about to lose it completely.
"You don't understand shit," Edward breathed heavily.
Alfons frowned, one hand closed carefully around Edward's wrist. He could breathe, but Edward didn't have to do so much to prevent him. Edward hands were as deadly as a pair of knives.
"You're not yourself," Alfons said. "Get a grip before you do something regrettable."
He didn't even know what he meant that Edward might regret doing. Hurt him?
He wouldn't do that, right?
Why was he unsure? Didn't he trust Edward?
He knew Edward. He had known Edward for almost two years. He would never hurt an innocent person. But what did he know about Edward's limits if he had never reached his limit before? And now he was acting like a lunatic!
"You don't understand shit!" Edward yelled, repeating himself. Alfons started struggling again, but Edward barely moved. Now that he had his prosthetic limbs replaced with real automail, he was even stronger than before.
Alfons stopped moving as Edward tightened his grip. So he was serious. He could possibly kick him off or something, but he didn't want to hurt Edward. Alfons smiled of how ridiculous he was, even though he almost was getting suffocated.
He stared directly into Edward's eyes. "Do you really think your brother is dead?" He could only utter the words as a small raspy whisper as his throat was almost closed.
Edward's eyes suddenly grew wide as a pair of china, as he slowly realized he had both of his hands clenched around Alfons' throat. He released them slowly off from him while violently shaking his head.
"No," he whispered. "No." He stepped back, as far away from him as he could come, swaying slightly. And then his legs refused to keep him standing.
Alfons' breath hitched as Edward's face met the floor before he could even react. He coughed a little as he moved fast towards the fallen one. His throat felt sore.
First he was afraid that Edward had blacked out. But as he kneeled down beside him, he could see that the golden eyes were still wide, barely blinking. His back elevated and immersed in an uneven rhythm of his heavy breathing.
Alfons grabbed his shoulders, ignoring the ball of fear that had been created in the pit of his gut. "Edward, you're exhausted." He really was. Edward was pale and his eyes were like dead. "It's all the multiple transmutations, right?" Alfons remembered the Colonel's warning. And now as he thought about it, he couldn't remember seeing Edward having a slightest break for days, except for the time they had lunch with Winry and Scheiska. But that had only been a short one.
Edward flinched away from him, away from his hold and refused to look at him. "I'm sorry..." he whispered, barely audible. "I'm sorry..."
"We will find your brother, okay?" Alfons said softly. "Come to bed now and rest up." He helped Edward to sit up and hugged him close to his chest, rocking him back and forth. Edward sat stiff like a doll, looking out in empty space.
"Let's get the damn thing ready tomorrow," Alfons said encouragingly. "And then we'll head out and find him." He kept telling himself that at least one of them had to stay strong if the other lost it, no matter what. Edward needed him to be strong, so he would be.
Edward fisted his shirt. First Alfons didn't think much of it, but then he noticed that Edward was pushing away from him yet again. He scowled as Edward pushed himself completely back and staggered up to his feet.
"I can't do this," Edward whispered. "... I can't... face them without him."
"What do you mean? You can't do what?" Alfons wished he understood. And who couldn't he face? Winry? His friends and family? He couldn't face anyone without Al? Was that the reason why he didn't want to spend time anywhere else than building the plane?
Of course it was.
"It's not fair."
"Edward, what are you—?"
Edward looked darkly at him and shook his head. "I'm sorry." Then he whirled around and bolted out the door. Before Alfons could even react or call after him, Edward vanished.
He was left alone, confused and trembling. Again.
--
Heavy rain was pouring down outside. When Edward stopped running, he found himself in an empty, dark street. For how long time had he been running? He couldn't remember. It felt like he had blacked out and that everything that had recently happened was like some distant dream. Unreal.
No, it was real. This sickening feeling in his stomach was just too real, and so was his deep frustration. It was nothing he rather wanted than to just take some time off from everything right now. Just for one minute.
He curved down abruptly and vomited in the ally. But still the despise of himself wouldn't let go of him that easily.
Edward wiped off his mouth and looked serenely around the street, oblivious to the rain. It looked familiar. He had been here before a long time ago.
He started shivering lightly. His shirt was thin, already soaking wet and the automail started to hurt from the cold rain.
His thoughts were swimming. The book wouldn't lie. It was all too much likely that his father's theories were correct, no matter how much he didn't want them to. The Gate was containing the balance between the two worlds. Objects and humans that didn't belong in the other world would face high consequences. The worlds were supposed to be equal. Parallel. People and objects coming over to the other side would ruin this balance.
First he had only thought the biggest problem was Thule Society. All the people coming to the wrong side, and bringing ships and weapons with them that didn't belong in this world. It had bothered him deeply ever since he had arrived in this world. And then he had figured out another thing – which was scaring him even more each day.
The balance said that two parallel people couldn't live in the same world at the same time. That was one of the horrible facts he had recently learned from the codes of his father's book. It had left him so confused, scared, not knowing what to do.
If that theory was true, it was most likely that Al was dead. Because Alfons had come through the Gate alive.
The reason why Edward himself had been able to live in the other world was because his double had already died. He had even died because of him.
Tears of rage and loathe of himself welled up in Edward's eyes and he let himself fall on his knees on the hard ground. A mix of tears and rain were running down his cheeks, his breath hitching a little while he tried to choke some suppressed sobs. A hurting lump of dread was literally growing in the pit of his stomach, as if threatening to consume him completely.
It was his fault if Al was dead. He had brought Alfons here. Alfons hadn't even wanted to come. He had even known of the balance, but he had just ignored it. Every consequence had just seemed so unimportant at that time. Alfons would've died in the other world so it had been unthinkable to just leave him there.
Still, here Al couldn't live as long as Alfons was alive. Or the opposite.
That was the thought that has darkened his mind when he had attacked Alfons and nearly suffocated him to death with his hands. And he knew very well that he had let everything out on Alfons earlier after they arrived as well. Just because he couldn't cope with all his problems by himself...
Edward was trembling, scraping the ground with his nails. Had he really tried to kill Alfons for real? Had he thought he would get Al back if Alfons died? What the hell was wrong with him?
Edward shook his head violently. He would never risk Alfons' life for anything in the world. Not even for Al. It was his own burden to carry if he had killed his own brother as a result of his endless mistakes.
"You have nothing to do with it," Edward said to Alfons. But Alfons wasn't there, so he couldn't hear him.
Edward stared down at his trembling flesh hand. Either way, no human being could possibly make a choice like that. Get Al back or prevent Alfons from dying.
It wasn't fair. The Gate was doing this to him. And it wasn't fair.
Edward lowered his head, resting it on top of his hands on the ground and sobbed quietly. He felt more miserable, more of a failure, even more pathetic than he had ever felt before.
There was only one thing to do.
He stood up on his feet again, ignoring the dizzy feeling and started walking, thinking that it was probably no coincidence that his consciousness had brought him here. He found the right house and stepped right up to the door, lifting his hand to knock.
Edward hesitated. How late was it? Did he even still live here?
He knocked anyway. He needed to know the truth about Al.
Roy Mustang was probably sleeping at this late hour, but something told him that he wasn't. And a couple of minutes later, he heard footsteps on the other side of the door.
"Who is it?" a voice called warily.
Edward shifted and looked behind him to see if someone was around. Maybe he should go. But the rain still poured down hard, making his automail hurt. Edward hated the rain.
"It's me," he said in a low voice.
Mustang opened the door, frowning down at him. He looked drowsy, but was still wearing his blue military pants and white uniform shirt.
Edward stood silent, just looking at him, pale, wet and cold to the bones and his hair sticking to his face.
"Fullmetal..."
"Hi, Colonel," Edward said huskily. "Awake?"
"As you can see," Mustang replied. "Come inside, you look dead." He hurriedly gestured the blond inside, sheltering him from the cold, merciless rain.
Edward came inside the door and stood still, quite stiffly. He felt slightly calmer now than he had been a few minutes ago.
Mustang closed the door tightly and went past him. "Get out of those wet clothes, Fullmetal." He continued to his bedroom and opened his drawer.
Edward moved slowly into the living room, hesitant about the undressing. The living room looked exactly like he remembered it. Nothing was changed. He looked to the left. The couch looked like someone recently had slept on it, and standing on the table beside it was an opened bottle of scotch.
Edward went straight for the table and poured some scotch into the glass which already stood there. He emptied it in one go, just as Mustang returned with a pile of clothes in his hands.
"Edward," he said, frowning.
Edward put down the empty glass and turned back at him.
"What are you doing here at this hour?" Mustang asked quietly.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," Edward replied in a low voice.
Mustang nodded, a low sigh escaping from his lips. "Do you even know what time it is?"
"No."
Mustang laughed quietly. "Okay. Let me first tell you something."
"What?"
"I don't think your brother is dead."
Edward didn't reply to that, just gave him a long and sceptical look.
"I know what the Brigadier told you, and he's wrong," Roy continued calmly. "He didn't see what really happened."
"Then what did happen, Mustang?" Edward demanded. "You haven't told me anything!"
Mustang rubbed his forehead, but nodded. "I'll tell you. But first... you'll get sick if you don't get yourself out of those wet clothes." He tossed a shirt and a pair of jeans to him. "You know where the bathroom is."
Edward nodded, and went to change.
When he came back, two glasses stood on the table, and the Colonel was pouring into both of them. Edward slumped down on the couch. The clothes were too big for him, but at least they were dry and helped warming up his automail.
The Colonel handed him the glass. "Since you like it so much," he muttered.
Edward snorted. "The other world taught me how to drink. Although, over there they always drank to forget. I drank so I could remember."
"Remember what?"
Edward was about to answer, but changed his mind and shrugged. "How it was before, I guess."
"Did you forget about it?" Roy asked.
"Sometimes."
"I see."
Edward emptied his glass, and Roy did the same.
"You always do this?" Edward asked dryly. "Sleeping on your couch and drink scotch by yourself?"
"No, Fullmetal, I'm not," Roy replied matter-of-factly. "And I'm not by myself now."
Edward snorted again. "Guess not."
There was a silence between them for a minute.
"Al was in Lior when Thule attacked the city," Mustang suddenly said, and Edward scowled. "It seemed to be a coincidence. When he called I was on my way there. He was at the military base outside the city, and so was Brigadier General Kiehle." He took a break to pour more scotch. "When I got there, there was another attack. They dropped four bombs. The first one didn't hurt anyone. We fired at them, and one of the flying machines landed in the desert. The second bomb hit the west wing of the base. I was with Al the whole time, protecting him. He even protected me. He's a talented alchemist." He drank. "Then the next bomb killed my friend, a colleague. Alphonse got upset, and he started running towards the flying machine that had landed before I could stop him."
Edward frowned. "Al... Stupid Al..."
"Right after that, the fourth bomb hit. It was closer to us, and I blacked out. But as you know, I lived. And Al was already further away from it than I was when it hit. So..."
Edward stood up. "The plane that landed. It was gone when you woke up, right?"
Mustang nodded. "Yes, it was."
"Then they took him," Edward said. His fists were clenching and opening. "They must have. Thank you, Colonel."
If Al was still alive, there might be a way to prevent the Gate from containing the balance. As long as he was alive, there was hope.
He drank another glass of scotch while standing, which he shouldn't have done, because then the dizziness consumed his mind and he fell down on the couch, breathing deeply and eyes drooping.
"Shit," he muttered. The roof was spinning above his head.
Mustang chuckled. "I thought you said you had learned how to drink."
"Shut up, Mustang."
"Maybe you should go to sleep, Fullmetal," Mustang said. "You're supposed to be there at seven am."
"So are you," Edward muttered.
There was a silence. Mustang sighed quietly. "Apparently not anymore."
Edward sat up halfway, frowning at him. "What do you mean?"
"They put me off the Azure-project."
Edward glowered at him. "Why?"
"Because I attacked the Brigadier General," Mustang replied simply.
"You what?" Edward didn't know if he should laugh or get angry. "Why the hell did you risk doing something that stu—?!"
"Because," Mustang interrupted harshly, "... he lied to you. He told you Al was dead. That's why."
Edward stared at the Colonel in wonder. "What happens now then?"
"He'll be put in charge," Mustang replied honestly.
"Fuck..." Edward groaned. "That's probably what he wanted from the start. Get the honour and the plane."
"That might be true."
"All the honour should go to Alfons." Edward reached for more scotch and poured down another glass. His eyes drooped again, leaning back. "I had a fight with him."
Roy looked at him. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"I almost killed him." The glass emptied.
Roy frowned, alarmed. "What?"
Edward shook his head, almost violently. "I was... frustrated." Before he knew it, his eyes were watering. "I..."
"It's okay, Ed," Roy said, sitting closer to him and squeezed his shoulder. "Just apologize tomorrow." Was Edward crying? What the hell was going on? Mustang wasn't quite used to situations like this.
Fortunately Edward seemed to calm himself down at last. "I'm sleepy..." Edward's body tilted sideways, resting against him.
Mustang sighed and caught him to lay him down in a more comfortable position.
Edward clutched his shirt. "Don't leave me alone," he muttered.
Roy stopped and watched him sitting in his arms. Edward looked already peaceful, resting his head against his chest.
Roy felt slightly uncomfortable. Why did Edward tease him like this?
He leant back, resting against the head of the couch with Edward in his arms.
He wondered slightly how it had come to this so suddenly. Yes, he had hoped that the younger alchemist that he loved so much would seek him out one day. But not because he had had a fight with Alfons. Roy felt strange about this. Edward knew how he felt, so why did he have to come and tell him that he had problems with Alfons?
He sighed. Perhaps it was because Edward still trusted him and had no one else to turn to in the matter. Then again, was that the only reason? Was it possible that Edward actually remembered what they had used to have?
They hadn't had a perfect relationship at that time they either. But he still missed it. There was just something special about Edward. And Edward must have missed it just a tiny bit considering the fact that he didn't run away from him at the time in the office.
Roy let his hand run lightly over Edward's cheek. "You're beautiful, Edward," he found himself saying. Maybe he was under the influence himself after all. The bottle was almost empty.
He stroked Edward's golden hair back from his face, gently caressing his neck and back.
They had been happy together. At least he thought so.
Even before he could keep track of what he was doing, he had tilted Edward's head up and kissed him. He didn't care if Edward would punch him or leave. All that mattered was feeling him right now. Having Edward here now, teasing him this way, it would almost have been a crime to not do anything to him.
Edward wasn't kissing back. He didn't even notice what was happening. Roy thought it was time to change that. He wanted the other to know. To feel it. What they were missing.
He kissed him harder, deeper, adding his tongue.
This time Edward moved slightly, his face scrunching up into a curious scowl.
Mustang stroked his back, not letting go of his lips. And when Edward slightly parted his lips, he just added more tongue into the mix, encouraging the other to do the same.
Edward couldn't possibly be awake, Mustang thought absent-mindedly. He'd be dead if he were.
Edward moaned quietly, moving vaguely into a better position to kiss back. His hands was fisting Mustang's shirt, his tongue exploring the warm mouth.
Ah, that was much better. Roy parted to breathe and allowed himself to explore Edward's exposed neck. Edward hadn't even bothered to button up his borrowed shirt properly, and the shirt was already too big for him. No wonder why he could see so much of his skin. He licked the neck exploring, receiving some wonderful, compatible sounds from the younger. Then he started sucking hard, making Edward squirm his body. He was so adorable.
Roy wondered slightly how far he could go before he got busted, and moved his hand down towards the waistband of Edward's borrowed jeans. How would he react to this? he wondered.
Edward nestled into him, whispering something inaudible.
"What, Edward?" Roy murmured into the slick neck and slipped his fingers underneath the waistband of his pants.
"Alfons..." Edward mumbled softly.
Roy stopped ice cold. Edward shifted and snuggled closer to him, using his chest as a pillow.
Roy could feel his own heartbeat hammering towards Edward's ear, as Edward's breathing morphed into a soothing and deep rhythm.
He sighed deep and rubbed his forehead. What the hell was he doing? Molesting a drunk, eighteen-year-old who didn't even love him the same way. "Way to go, Mustang," he muttered to himself.
Edward really loved Alfons. His dreams would never lie. Mustang understood. They couldn't continue where they let go over two years ago. Their past was history. He would accept that – eventually.
But he would treasure this moment until the blond would wake up, probably embarrassed and uptight. Roy smirked and reached behind himself to fetch a blanket which he unfolded and tucked carefully around Edward.
"Good night, Fullmetal," he muttered, leaning back and closed his eyes, ignoring the small sense of sadness pressing at his heart.