A/N: Happy New Year! Here's the chapter two! I've tried my best with grammar but don't expect too much. This chapter mainly focuses on the relationship between Edward and Havoc.
Enjoy!
It was an early morning. Air was fresh from the rain and the sky shone with light blue colour.
Birds were singing which was unusual at this time of the year.
Edward walked in the streets of Central in his usual outfit. The hood of the red jacket was drawn up to cover his face. His cheek hurt badly and the cold air wasn't doing much good. He had bathed the area of his body with his damp towel last night but now nothing could cover the pain and he felt like crying all the time.
How could Hughes do something like that?
He really respected the man and thought of him as father- figure. He and Hughes got along pretty well, not including his outbursts that had come more regularly now that he had reached puberty.
Didn't the man love him anymore?
The boy sniffed and looked at the high block of flats. It was white and each apartment had a balcony some of which were decorated with flowers or outdoor garden tables and chairs.
He walked to the outdoor and pressed the button on the wall hearing a noise, the same kind of they use in phones.
"Havoc." The man's voice sounded like coming through the phone. Edward took a deep breath and tried to hold back his emotions.
"It's Ed, may I come in?"
The door opened immediately and the boy went through the hallway. Pressing the other button, he bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, waiting for the elevator to come.
Havoc was at the door waiting for him. He wore jeans and a black t- shirt that showed off his muscles. The boy saw concern written all over his friend's face.
"What are you doing here this early?" Havoc asked as he got out of the elevator and gave him way.
"Wanted to talk to you", Edward took of his hood and revealed his face. Havoc nearly choked in his saliva when seeing the purple bruise. When the hell had that happened?
"C'mon, I was just making breakfast."
That was all he could say.
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Chapter 2
Havoc knew Edward was a stubborn person. When he set his mind to something it was almost impossible to turn his head. Same came to secrets. When someone told him something, Edward would treat the secret like his greatest treasure. Not only did he keep his mouth shut but also made sure others wouldn't slip anything.
When he hurt himself he didn't whimper or anything, just kept going because life had taught him not to mourn over little things. Life was too short to be wasted worrying. He had other, more important things to ponder.
That rule didn't match with the situation Havoc was now in.
Just as soon as Edward stepped inside the apartment, tears started to leak from his eyes. Now that he had someone dear to him nearby all the feelings broke loose. He had spent last night in his room, not let Gracia or Hughes in although those two had nearly broken down the door. They had been so worried.
Now he had the consolation he had longed for.
Havoc guided him to the couch and sat him down. The boy kept his eyes closed, crying heavily.
"Does your cheek hurt?" The man asked earning a frantic nod. He walked to the kitchen and took a clean wash cloth from the cupboard wetting it with cold water.
He sat down beside Edward and drew him close, holding the cloth on the swollen cheek.
Edward grabbed his black t-shirt not even trying to calm down. Havoc didn't say anything; just let the boy cry and held him close, trying to make the boy feel safe.
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...
Edward slept on the couch in his side. Havoc was drinking coffee by the table looking at the kid worriedly. Among all the incoherent muttering had been the truth of what had happened.
He couldn't believe it. Hughes was a calm person. Sure, he had temper and when he got angry it was a serious matter. The man had hit earlier, Havoc knew that much, but that he had hit a child...
But more than anything he was worried about how Edward understood the situation. They hadn't got a chance to talk about the incident much but what he had heard revealed pretty much of the boy's thoughts.
"Hughes hates me", Edward whimpered still holding the man's shirt. Havoc shook his head and stroked the hair gently as sobs erupted from the tiny form in his arms.
"I'm sure that isn't it-"
"Yes, it is!" The boy claimed tears running down his cheeks. His eyes were red and puffy as he looked at the man. "Why else would he have done it?"
"I'm not sure", Havoc tried to explain although he didn't know the answer. "Sometimes a person just snaps, like Colonel does. One doesn't have to have one certain reason."
It didn't help much; Edward slumped against the man exhausted, still sniffing.
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Not too much."
Truth to be told, he had slept properly only for half an hour.
Havoc took the cloth from the boy's cheek and stood up the same time he laid Edward down on the couch.
"No wonder you're so shaken up. You need to rest to sort out everything in your head."
"What do I - hic- need to sort out for?" The boy cried as his friend took a red blanket from the end of the couch and covered the boy with it. The man lifted the golden haired head and put a pillow under it.
"For yourself. Everything will be better after you've had a bit of rest."
It was now almost two o'clock in the afternoon. The kid hadn't shown any signs of waking up in hours. He just laid there curled up like a cat. The boy usually slept in that position no matter where he was. It was useful for he fit in smaller places like that.
As if to prove man's thoughts wrong, Edward started to moan on the couch and finally sat up. Hair was partly out of it's braid and flying to every direction.
"Well hello there", Havoc smiled and the boy turned to look at the man. Edward rubbed the sleep out of his yellow eyes all the while yawning.
"Did you sleep well?"
"As well as one can when sleeping on old furniture", the boy replied wearily and slumped onto one of the chairs and put his head to his hands, eyelids all the whileabout to drop.
"You want something to eat?" The man asked not staying put to wait for the answer but stood up and began to gather things to the table from the fridge and cupboards. Soon there were bread, sausages, bacon, eggs, vegetables, butter, orange juice and all kinds of other breakfast ingredients on the simple light brown table.
Edward sighed with half-open eyes and reached for the doughnut with his left hand. He tore it in two part and began to chew the other.
Havoc watched this, partly amused, partly worried. He knew Edward wasn't actually the morning person but he never refused when someone offered him food.
"Not wanting anything else, huh?"
"It's your own fault you're such a mother hen."
The answer was simple and said in a monotone voice. There was no real emotion in it, it was just a statement. Usually the same would have come from the mouth of a self- respecting teen, not this hollow figure that was sitting by his table, eating his food.
He really needed to get to the bottom of the situation.
"So", Havoc started, pouring orange juice to a cup for the boy to drink. "What are you going to do?"
Edward took the drink and gulped down a bit of it, licking his dry lips. "I'm not going there anymore."
"Ed, we all make mistakes-"
"Hughes hit me, I think that's more than a mistake."
"Okay, okay", the man rose his palms to calm down the other. He rubbed his forehead a bit and tried to think of anything clever to say. "What Hughes did was wrong, I admit that, but remember that he's always been very nice and everything. He has never done any harm to you!"
"But now he did. If one hits once, they will hit again someday."
Edward was repeating the same thing over and over again. The conversation clearly wasn't going anywhere because the kid had decided to stick onto his view of the whole situation. His stubborn attitude came to surface once again.
Havoc shook his head disappointed , frustrated and what else: "There's no that kind of saying."
"Okay, I changed the old one but the idea is the same."
"But it is not a rule of life!" He was desperate to try and get the kid understand. "Think of you and Al, you tried Human Transmutation."
There was a piercing silence. Edward stared at the older man, his almost older-brother figure who he respected and admired, with anger in his eyes. No, anger wasn't strong enough: there was every kind of emotion in the depths of the golden eyes. Every single moment before, during and after the greatest mistake of his life was now visible in the gaze that was directed to the Second Lieutenant in front of him.
Two head- strong persons stared at each other, keeping a tight hold of their own right to say what they thought.
"That was a low blow", Edward's voice was quiet and suddenly all too full of pain for a fourteen- year- old.
"No, it wasn't . You committed a taboo and learned from it. I'm quite sure you wouldn't try Human Transmutation anymore now matter what happened. You and Al experienced too much pain, and Hughes feels pain too for what he did. "
Edward tried to protest but found no words to do so. Finally, he gave up and lowered his head, sorrow filed eyes hidden by his bangs.
Havoc clapped himself on the back in his mind. He wouldn't have ever thought he could come out with something so effective to silence the young alchemist. Maybe he wasn't so simple minded after all.
"But..." The voice was so quiet he barely heard it Havoc leaned forward, putting most of the weight in his upper body on his crossed arms. The small boy continued his sentence, voice sounding like something was strangling him. "I still don't want to go there."
Tears glinted on the boy's face. The man didn't know if he should hug the boy, let him be alone, or just stay there and be quiet. The order to stop crying false tears crossed his mind also but he let it be. Truth to be told, he wasn't sure if Edward was actually crying. It took a lot to get the boy reveal his emotions and somehow, the hardest task for him was to let someone see salt water leaking out of his eyes.
But if the tears were real this time, he should feel honoured that Edward trusted him enough to let him see him at his most vulnerable state.
Havoc licked his lips tasting coffee on them. Man, he needed a cigarette.
Taking an opened pack, he took out a orange- white coloured stick and lighted it. Once he had had the first lungfull of the much needed calming smoke, the idea in his mind was ready to be pronounced.
"Well, then you won't go there for a while. But you need a place to stay."
Edward lifted his head, glittering eyes filled with relief. There was no triumphant or mischievous smile on his face. The boy was just happy that his opinion had been understood and respected.
"So", Havoc shrugged unsurely, he wasn't sure which of them should say the suggestion out aloud but he was ready to save the kid from pitying himself even more. "Would you like to stay here for some time?"
"Here?" Edward asked confused. Havoc swore in his mind. Why couldn't people just accept the kind offers that were given to them.
"Here, here. A nice, peaceful area, great view, close to Headquarters, I only have one bedroom but you can sleep on the couch if it's okay", He acted like a sales assistant who was trying to get the customers to buy a house, waving his hands everywhere to ensure the boy. Sure, his apartment was on the ninth floor, and the neighbours were nice but Edward knew that already. The thing was to get the boy feel like he could spend there more than one or two nights.
"Your couch isn't too bad", the boy shrugged giving the man a hint of a smile. It wasn't near as bright and cheerful as usually but in the current situation it was enough for Havoc.
The man nodded, grinning widely. "Then let's get started. "
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...
The newspaper on the table was untouched. The only things that got the man's attention were the kitchen window and the clock. It was half past six already.
Maes Hughes shook his head and sighed. He had gotten a call from Havoc in the morning so he knew there was at least one thing less he needed to worry about. Edward was fine and safe but in pieces.
He was also.
The black clothes he wore matched the mood he was in. If someone had sometime said to him he hit a child, he would have just laughed. He loved children, everyone knew that! And Edward was special to him. Who would have thought that a boy who always caused trouble and was difficult to handle would become so dear to him that he would be ready to sacrifice himself for him? The path of the fate was full of strange things.
Having Edward in his life had given him more than he could have ever imagined. What a way for him to thank the boy.
"Maes", Gracia came to him with a plate full of potatoes, meat and vegetables. His wife had a habit of making a bit more festive dinner at Sundays. "You should eat something."
He shook his head, looking out of the window. "I'm not hungry."
Just thinking of Edward's eyes after he had hit him was enough to make him lose his appetite. He could never imagine what kind of fear the boy had felt when a person dear to him had acted like an enemy. Thinking of the first two seconds after the incident made him feel sick to his stomach.
It was all his fault. Hughes had noticed that after reaching puberty Edward's tantrums had come more often; they weren't big ones but having to deal with a lot of smaller ones was tiring.
Elysia was difficult sometimes also but he had never even thought of hitting her.
Did he think of the children differently? Weren't they equal in his eyes? These were the two of the questions he had thought about the whole day.
And none of them had been answered.
"Maes", he lifted his head at the mention of his name. "Havoc is here. "
In a second, Hughes stood up from his chair and hurried to the front door. He was about to open the front door when insecurity got a hold of him. What would happen if he opened it?
Would Havoc punch him? Maybe but he could take it.
Would Edward come inside and tell him how much he hated him? That was likely but the boy said that to everyone in one point.
What ever came there he would have to face it like a man.
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...
Havoc looked at the back of Hughes's dark haired head and stayed quiet while walking to the kitchen. Edward was upstairs gathering what he needed
Hughes turned to the cupboard and Havoc clearly saw the man dry his eyes. The man felt bad about everything he had done and would no doubt give anything to change the path of the fate.
Once he had collected himself somewhat, he turned to Havoc, his eyes were red from holding back tears. He held two pill bottles.
"These are Ed's medicines. Listen carefully because this is important."
The man showed the slightly bigger bottle. "He has to take these one before breakfast to an empty stomach. And these", he now showed the smaller bottle ," one in the morning and one in the evening."
Hughes opened the bottle. "These should be enough for some time. The prescription is here if he needs more."
Havoc nodded and took the bottles. He knew that the smaller bottle was for Panic Attacks. Edward had been diagnosed with a slight Panic Disorder about a year ago. The name of the sickness sounded horrible but to him it had been a great relieve to finally know why the boy acted so unlike himself in oppressive situations.
"What is this other for?" He asked. He didn't remeber seeing it. It had to be new for Edward sometimes spent nights at his house and he had made sure the boy took his medicine.
Hughes was just about to answer when Edward came to kitchen
"I'm ready", The boy answered holding his much used suitcase. Yellow eyes were reddish also and he barely looked at Hughes.
Havoc just nodded and took the bottles.
"Okay, let's go then."
"Ed Nii-san!"
Elysia ran to the adults and looked at her older brother with sad eyes.
"I'm sorry I took the watch. Please don't go."
Edward's pained look disappeared and he smiled at the girl comfortingly but his eyes still showed weariness.
"I need to go away for some time, Ellie."
"When will you come back?" Tears began to gather Elysia's eyes. She didn't understand the situation. The only thing that entered her mind was that he was now going to be alone with her parents. During her short life her big brothers had left many times for missions but this was something different.
Edward kneeled to the girl's level. It seemed strange to him that Elysia was more worried of him going to Havoc's than missions. When he went to look for Philosopher's Stone there was always a possibility that he wouldn't come back alive.
"I don't know."
"Please stay! I'll be good! I promise!"
"This has nothing to do with you Ellie", Edward shook his head, memories from an already dead girl returning to his head. He hugged the Hughes's daughter fiercefully.
Havoc and Hughes watched them from distance both feeling guilty. Seeing the little girl's sorrow was something that made the whole situation seem even more serious.
How they both wished this was just a bad dream.
"Okay", Havoc finally broke the moment and walked to the front door. "C'mon now, Ed."
The boy let go of the girl slowly and stood up. He walked to the man, took his jacket and left the house without looking back
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...
If Havoc thought that everything would be easier once they made it to his place he was wrong.
It was already midnight and he was almost asleep on his bed, on his back and wearing a loose white T-shirt and black slacks. The moon lighted the room with it's dim light.
"Havoc...", There was a tiny voice next to him. He turned towards it and opened his eyes.
"What's it?" He asked sleepily. Edward bowed his head wearing blue pyjamas. He looked a lot younger than his age like that.
"I- I can't sleep. Can I please sleep next to you?"
At first he thought the kid was kidding and was about to reject the request but after thinking a bit he thought differently. After all, the kid had had a pretty rough day and was no doubt still shocked about everything. Besides, this was nothing like the times when Ed spent a night at his apartment.
Usually they were happy, ate something good like pizza or hamburgers and would stay up late telling jokes. This was nothing like those times.
And he had to admit that Edward looked utterly adorable standing there like that.
He sighed and waved his hand towards the bed.
"Okay", Havoc said and the boy smiled gratefully while landing down. "But for this night only!"
The man gave him a pillow and covered him carefully. Edward turned onto his right side facing Havoc, smile still on his face.
"Hey", The boy whispered. "You know why I like to be here?"
"Why?"
"Because you're so nice", Edward crawled next to the man curled up against him. "And this is the only place where I really feel like someone cares about me."
And the boy drifted to sleep.
Havoc rolled his eyes frustrated and patted the golden haired head with his left hand.
Man, the boy was going to be a handful!
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A/N: So, once again, reviews are more than welcome!