A/N: I'm so sorry for this chapter is so late, I have no idea what was wrong with me! This chapter is pretty much te same as it was originally.
Now, I got only one review of the last chapter but there has been over 1000 hits for this story. Was the chapter really so bad you thought it was not worth reviewing? Anyway, thanks to Dzem for reviewing!
And the other thing I have to say, this follows the original anime line, and so the Hughes in this is the original anime Hughes, not the Brotherhood version. While they have been able to make most of the characters look like those in the original anime, they have completely destroyed Hughes. The guy looks so ugly, nothing like the man I fell in love with. The quality of the new show is horrible! The only reason I watch it is Hughes and havoc and their moments with Edward (likepisode 5), but after what will happen to both of them, I'm pretty sure I like the new series even less.
So, now that I've lost most of my readers, here is the new chapter. And I still don't own the characters or anything.
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Chapter 5
Havoc looked at the couch from his working spot and frowned: Edward was laying on the purple piece of furniture, out-cold. The boy was laying on his back wearing his regular working clothes: black leather trousers, black boots and black jacket which had a – surprise, surprise- black tank top underneath it. The whole attire was made perfect by long, red overcoat. The automail-arm was over his head while the other hung over the edge of the couch.
The boy never slept like that; at least Havoc had never seen him do so.
"He really is tired," Fuery stated worried.
"Yeah," Havoc nodded taking a cigarette out of his mouth. He sighed and a cloud of smoke came out of his mouth.
"You don't seem to be too well either," Breda commented from his spot opposite his best friend.
The man waved his hand to lessen the worries of his comrades. "I'm just fine. It's the kid I'm worried about."
The door to the office room opened and Hawkeye and Falman came in. The woman carried files under her armpit. She looked to the sleeping boy surprised.
"Shouldn't you have let him stay home today? This is not a bedroom."
The sentence was said matter o factly, almost coldly. Havoc knew inside that the woman didn't mean her words to be taken literally but they still hit the nerve.
"You try dealing with him 24/7 and then come say something like that," Havoc snapped a bit more irritably than he had had intention to. Instantly after saying it, he put his face into his hands and rubbed his forehead. All the sleepless nights were getting a toll of him.
A sound from the couch got his attention. Edward had turned his face to the couch and was muttering something incoherent in his sleep.
The man rose up from his seat and kneeled next to the couch.
"Kiddo," He called shaking the boy's shoulder. Edward didn't answer nor move his position.
Havoc went on talking to the boy with a soft voice but it didn't do any good: Edward was going to sleep for some time.
After realizing the task was hopeless, Havoc stood up, raised his hands in a sign of surrender and walked back to his place. He had nothing against the boy sleeping but why couldn't the kid rest at night.
Hawkeye watched the process, her finger gently rubbing her cheek in a sign of thinking.
"If you're that tired, then couldn't Hughes-"
"No. Edward doesn't want to go back yet."
"By what I've heard, he really misses the kid," Falman spoke up from next to Hawkeye. His original post was in the Investigations Department- in fact, Hughes had been the one that had discovered him. Havoc knew Hughes well through Edward but Falman knew him better as a Military Officer. "Major hasn't been himself since the incident happened."
None of them could call the hitting by its real name. What Hughes had done was just not like him. The man was always kind, modest and ready to help anyone, friends and unknown.
Fuery looked at Edward worriedly.
"Maybe there is something seriously wrong with him," He said quietly. "I've heard that in brain cancer cases-"
"Major has got no cancer, Fuery." Hawkeye snapped turning to look to the young officer. She blinked her eyes when noticing the man was not looking at the group which was having the conversation.
"Um… Which one were you even talking about?"
"Maybe Hughes envies Edward," Breda leaned his head into his right hand, also wanting to express his point of view.
"Why would he be?" Havoc sent an evil glare to the man. "Edward's life isn't actually worth envying."
Breda wasn't ready to give up. As a strategist, he always had various possibilities ready in case they were needed. "But they have the same rank, and you know how much publicity the kid has gotten."
"Hughes has never been interested in ranks," Falman stopped the forming fight before Havoc had a chance to say anything back. "Still, I must say that he is not pleased with how everyone in Amestris know Edward's name. He's worried something might happen to the boy."
For once, Falman's unthinkable amount of information didn't leave them annoyed.
...
...
Two hours later, Edward Elric had finished his nap and was now feeling much better. He stretched his limbs over his head and yawned widely. The couch was not the most comfortable thing to sleep on.
Then he saw the person he had wanted to see since yesterday evening.
"Hey!" Edward ran to Hughes smile decorating his face. The man turned around and smiled also, but not as happily nor widely as the boy.
"Nice to see you too, Ed."
The child felt some of his cheerfulness being washed away. Hughes was friendly, that was normal, but there seemed to be a wall between them. It was like two years ago when they knew each other only slightly and were nothing more than just friends. To the boy, it felt like yesterday and the whole elevator incident had not happened at all. Every minute since they had went separate ways in the evening, he had hoped in his heart that everything was alright now and they could start from where they left. Even Havoc had assured him that everything would become normal within time; after all, Hughes had been completely normal in the elevator where they were alone.
Not willing to give up everything they had, Edward came up with a possibility that Hughes was still shocked. He wasn't sure if the man had told Gracia what has happened. The man was like his father, even though there had not been any formal adoption, and he knew Hughes cared for him with all his life. At least Havoc had told him so time after time. Edward had lost consciousness and that's why he couldn't remember much about what had happened, but he had heard that Hughes had practically kept him alive. Something so horrible would touch any parent in an unexplainable way.
"Are you alright?" The boy finally asked. "I mean- what happened yesterday-"
For a moment Hughes's face turned from tired to worried and the man stepped forward and took the boy from the shoulders.
"I should be the one asking that! Sorry, I'm in my thoughts at the moment. One case is pretty difficult," he ruffled the boy's hair affectionally. Edward couldn't relax to the touch, something was still wrong.
"I'm just fine, sleeping was the toughest part."
Hughes sighed and lifted his right hand to rub his forehead. The yellow-green eyes were closed as if the man was in pain.
"Are you okay?" Edward asked quickly, worry thick in his voice.
The man nodded weakly opening his eyes still keeping his other hand on the boy's automail shoulder.
"Yeah, this is just headache."
"Maybe you should take some aspirin."
"Did so already, it had no effect."
They started to walk through the corridor making friendly small- talk about this and that. Hughes told the boy about Elysia's latest achievements but a lot more briefly than usually. Edward sensed something was seriously wrong.
Suddenly Hughes stumbled into his own feet and had to steady himself against the wall.
"Hughes," the boy cried and took a hold of the man's arm to help him stay upright. His gaze became fixated on the man's face: His pupils were dilated- not a good sign.
"Hughes," Edward repeated shocked, listening to man's heavy breathing. "You should really get help."
Older of the two shook his head forcefully as a sign of rejecting the idea. The man tried to stand on his own feet but didn't find his balance and collapsed onto the boy, eyes rolling to the back of his head.
Edward yelped when the body crushed him under but after the first shock, he started his battle to get from under Hughes. He moved the body gently and turned the man onto his back.
He rose to his knees and almost ran away on seeing the pale face and the lack of motion.
The boy himself was beginning to shake.
"Hughes," he whispered taking the unconscious man's face into his hands and slapping it gently. He didn't dare to use much force: what if he would hurt him?
When he didn't receive any reaction he took a tight hold of the shoulders, like he had been told to do if someone fainted.
"Wake up!" He added considerably the volume of his voice. "Please! Don't be dead!"
The man didn't response in any way. Edward didn't even know if the man was alive anymore. He couldn't remember what to do. Should he check breathing or get help?
His flesh hand began to sweat and it was getting difficult to breath.
No, the boy thought shaking his head. I can't have another attack! Not now!
Shaking was getting worse and he began to feel sick. Hughes needed help, but he couldn't help him. The only solution was Mustang's office. If he only managed to get there before Panic Attack would get the control over him, he would be of help in even some way.
Taking in one last glance of the unconscious man, Edward stood up and hurried away.
...
...
Edward laid on the large bed in Havoc's bedroom. He sniffed and a tear slid down his cheek. The flesh hand wiped it away although the act was in vain: more tears would come soon.
Two panic attacks in just two days were too much for his body to handle; he was still shaking and feeling little nauseous. The fact that he was clad only in his boxers and a t-shirt, laying on cool bed and covered by a blanket didn't improve his situation.
How did this happen? He asked from himself but didn't become any wiser.
Why?
...
Havoc finished his latest cup of coffee. He knew he wasn't going to get any sleep the whole night but at the moment he didn't care.
Setting his mug down on the table, he put his face into his hands and sighed. After Edward had ran into the office everything had been nothing but a big disaster.
The boy had cried something incoherent but a few words had been understandable. Once the most of the office had ran out, it had been his job to try to calm Edward down. It hadn't been easy: the panic attack the boy had had was the worst Havoc had ever seen him in. And now he still couldn't do anything to help him.
The man stood up and walked to the first aid closet. He opened a bottle and took one pill out of it to lay on his palm. The tablet was strong enough to help the boy lead a normal life but in bigger situations it did nothing.
He fisted his hand carefully and opened another bottle and took two pills out it; they were the same size as the first one.
After filling a crystal clear glass with cool water, Havoc walked to his bedroom door and knocked onto it gently, just to not to scare the boy.
"Hey," He whispered and sat onto the edge of the bed, to the end of the boy's feet. Edward layed on his side, hands crossed over his chest. He turned his head to look at Havoc: the yellow eyes were red.
"Anything new?"
"No, but they promised to call if there came any change in his situation."
The boy turned his head away to stare to the wall. Havoc knew he had had a long day and needed rest but he knew also that it wouldn't come easy. He himself had been fifteen when his father had had a heart attack, and he knew just what the boy was thinking.
Havoc forced the depressing thoughts out of his mind, and offered the three tablets on his palm.
"Here," he said encouragingly. "Take these, they'll help you sleep."
Slowly, Edward sat up and picked up the medicine. He put them into his mouth without hesitation and gulped down with water.
"That's good," the man set the glass onto the night table. He touched the boy's hair and subconsciously tried to unlock the tangled strands. On realizing it was not possible without a proper shower and combing, Havoc took a hold of the boy's shoulders and laid him down.
He whispered comforting words as he drew the blanket over the boy's frame and went on with petting the hair.
He had no idea how long he stayed there. Time didn't matter at the moment; Havoc's only aim was to make Edward feel as safe as possible. Occasionally, the boy said some random things like: "Why did it happen?" And "What if he dies and I'll never get the chance to make it up with him?"
The man answered the best he could but there were no real answers. Only time would show what was to happen.
The doorbell rang and woke Havoc up from his daze. For a moment he just looked to the direction of his bedroom door as if it would help him to see who the person outside was. Then he finally got his legs moving and walked to the answering machine.
He pressed the button to get his voice heard.
"Yeah?"
"It's Mustang. May I come in?"
Usually Havoc played with his commanding officer, thinking out aloud if he should let the man enter the building. It always pleased him to hear the man's impatience grow thin, especially because he was ten stores higher than The Flame Alchemist.
In contrast, now something so childish didn't even come to his mind.
Havoc allowed the entering and went back to the bedroom. In the time he had been away, Edward had curled up onto his left side and was asleep.
The man bowed and stroked the hair.
"Just sleep, okay. I'll be there in the living room if you need anything."
He walked away and turned to the kid on the door.
"Good night, kiddo," he said softly before closing the door.
"You are careless, leaving your door open like that."
The man's reflexes made him to turn around in a split second to see Mustang standing in the hallway.
"Someone might kill you."
"Never scare me like that again," Havoc warned grasping his chest breathing heavily.
"I thought you were expecting me," Mustang crossed his arms across his chest coldly.
"Yes, but I thought you would have made some noise and not just stood there like a ghost!" The younger man snapped trying to regain his pride. Soon enough he noticed the tenseness in the air and both the men lowered their gazes.
"Anything new?"
Mustang merely shrugged. "They say he is going to live and there shouldn't be any lasting injuries."
Second Lieutenant lifted his gaze and asked the question he had been yearning an answer to."So, was it a heart attack?"
"Not actually; too little rest, too much work. I had to force him to take a sick leave. Someone else from his unit got the case. But you know Maes, thinks no one else can do a job better than he does. That selfish bastard!"
Worry was written all over Mustang's face. The curse words coming from his mouth only showed how much the man cared for Hughes. Havoc knew Hughes and Mustang had known each other for years, some said they had been best friends since they were toddlers. As they had grown up together, those two men had formed a wordless connection; they knew one would always be there for the other in any situation. They acted like they were nothing more than comrades, and Havoc was quite sure the gestures were not always acted on Mustang's part especially when Hughes called thirteenth time in the same day. They got on each other's nerves but as the old people said: The more fights, the better friendship.
Havoc's gaze fixated on the clenched fists and the shaking of the older man. He could see that there was something else than worry behind Mustang's reaction.
Moments passed without neither of the men knowing what to say, they only glanced at each other from time to time. Finally Mustang turned back to the front door, wrapping his black jacket tighter around himself.
"I should be leaving."
"You can stay here if you want to," Havoc moved closer to the other, he had a feeling it was not good to leave Mustang alone after what had happened earlier.
"That's okay," Colonel tried to smile encouragingly but failed miserably; more likely he seemed to be in pain. "I don't want to be any trouble."
"It's just nice to have company," Havoc went on assuring and pointed to the bedroom door. "Ed is going to sleep through the night. We could open a bottle of scotch, get drunk, and talk about the good old times."
For a moment Mustang just stood there, looking at his subordinate astonished. Then his face melted into a genuine smile. "Yeah, I would love that."
...
...
An hour later both of the men were drunk. An empty bottle of wine laid on its side on the living room table, now they were drinking the heavier beverages.
Staring at his glass full of scotch on rocks, Mustang occupied the sofa. His speech slurred a bit and his eyes were half open. Now that the laughing had subsided, the depressing themes were brought up. First had been the Ishval War in which both Havoc and Mustang had fought and gained some everlasting emotional and physical scars. The only good thing was that the whole war had occurred so long ago that everything about it had been discussed over and over again.
"He's always been there for me," Mustang whispered, leaning back to the same couch Edward had occupied for the last week. His hands held the glass on his knees. "He has always helped and guided and everything but when have I helped him? Never! I wasn't there when he collapsed."
Havoc didn't know what to do when the man's voice died to be replaced by a broken sigh. He recognized the voice and lowered his gaze. He knew Mustang didn't want anyone to see how much the accident had affected him.
He got a perfect excuse to leave the man in peace as the phone rang. He didn't even dare to clap the other on the shoulder: usually it was no problem. The whole situation seemed to be one of those dreams which you think will never end.
"Hello?" He said after picking up the receiver.
"It's Hawkeye. Is the Colonel there?" The woman sounded to be out of breath and worried.
"Yeah, he's right there next to me," Havoc looked to his left to the said man. Truth to be told, there were at least five meters between them but Hawkeye didn't need to know it.
There was a pause. Havoc took the receiver away from his ear and tapped it in case there was something wrong with the line.
"...Are you drunk?" He heard as he set the receiver back onto his ear and waved his hand as if what woman had asked didn't matter.
"A bit."
"Jean Havoc, you do realize you have a fourteen-year- old boy in your house and that that boy is completely shake up by what happened today?"
Havoc walked further away from Mustang, towards the mirror closet. He covered the part of the receiver he spoke to.
"Ed is in a deep sleep," He said calmly as if that would ease the woman's fury.
"But think of how he might feel if he wakes up and finds out that he is alone with two wasted drunk men?"
"Ed's seen us drunk before besides it's been a rough day. I gave him two sleeping pills so this won't bother him."
"So you just knocked him out," Hawkeye didn't yell but was clearly furious. She said her words so heavily Havoc had to draw the receiver from his ear. "You know, I'm this close to come there and get him somewhere else."
Havoc took in a calming breath not to get angry with the woman.
"Listen," he started his last effort to get everything peaceful again. "This wasn't in my plans. Remember me and Colonel drunk, we are not violate or anything... Or- ," He hesitated and bit his lip," at least I'm not."
There was the sound of phone being slammed down.
Havoc sighed and looked at his reflection. Without another word, he slammed his head against the mirror.
...
Eventually Hawkeye came fast as a tornado. She didn't answer to Havoc's greeting but looked around the small apartment like the place was not suitable for a human.
She walked to the living room only to find her commanding officer sitting on the couch. The man had clearly seen better, and more sober days.
"Good evening, Lieutenant," Mustang raised his glass as if to make honor for her entering. The woman merely nodded but sent a disapproving glance to him.
Edward was laying exactly the same way as an hour earlier.
The woman sat at the end of the boy's feet and shook his shoulder.
"Edward," she whispered. Her voice didn't hold the same warmth Havoc had heard mother's use but at least it was not full of anger.
The boy muttered something close to "let me sleep" and turned to his back.
What is it with him? Havoc frowned and crossed his arms across his chest.
"You know," he walked closer. "Go to the kitchen and open the last cupboard on the left. Take the two bottles in there. "
He earned a puzzled, a bit frightened look but not because of the mention of medicines. Hawkeye had noticed that the boy barely had any clothes on under the blanket.
Havoc decided not to care about her look.
"I'm not a pedophile. We've worked together for like- what- ten years and you think something like that of me?"
"Usually I don't know what to think about you guys," Hawkeye shook her head but rose from the bed and walked slowly out of the room. Havoc followed her and closed the bed room door to give Edward some privacy.
He turned to the boy and sighed; this was definitely not how he had planned to spend his evening.
Finally he got his not so sober mind out of his thoughts and walked to the bed. Edward's clothes were on the chair beside the night table; he lifted the trousers first.
Putting his hand under the boy's back, Havoc lifted the upper body. He had to contract his muscles far more than he had thought: Edward was all dead weight. The yellow haired head hung backwards and the braid touched the pillows behind it. The man muttered swear words under his breath, this was not working. He had to change his plan.
As carefully as he could, Havoc lowered the child back onto the bed to lie on his back and looked at his face. Edward was breathing in and out peacefully, not aware of anything that was happening around him.
The man took trousers into his hands and rolled the trouser legs up. Then he lifted the left foot, the automail one and forced it into the cloth. He left the right one last because flesh leg was more flexible and so easier to handle.
After a whole minute of struggling and sweating, the pants were drawn up and Havoc closed the brown belt as a sign of victory. He sighed and allowed himself a moment to relax. His body slumped next to the boy's.
"You know what," The man muttered and took the boy's jaw into his hand. "I know I've said this before but it is true. Awake or asleep- you're a handful."
If he waited for a response, he didn't get any.
By the time he moved on to trying to dress the boy into his black tank top, Havoc began to wonder if he had possibly given the boy too much sleeping pills. When he had gotten the boy into a position in which he could sit without falling to the floor, the easy part was over. He had extreme trouble trying to get arms through the opening because when he got one arm up, the other slumped down against the body. Finally he got enough and called Hawkeye for help. His manliness and pride suffered a bit but he figured it was better than causing Edward unnecessary suffering.
Not much time passed until Edward was all ready to leave, in the clothes part that was. The woman helped the boy to sit upright and put his head against her chest.
In his drunken mind, Havoc couldn't help feeling envious. It had been a long time since he had been that close to any woman. The boy didn't even care about women!
Hawkeye didn't seem to notice the man's expression. She slapped the boy's cheek slightly."Ed... Edward."
"What?" The boy murmured, not opening his eyes.
"Edward, you're coming with me," the woman told in a quiet voice. "Now , I can't carry you so you have to help me."
"Okay," Edward nodded and became quiet. Hawkeye brought her hand to the boy's cheek again and slapped it three times and with more force.
"Edward!"
"Stop it. I can carry him," Havoc told the woman and started to walk closer but was stopped by an irritated gaze.
"You would just drop him!"
It took almost five minutes for Edward to become awake enough to stand up. He got to the front door and sat down onto the floor to put on his shoes. It took him a minute to remember how to put them on but tying them up seemed impossible in Edward's current state. The boy looked like he could pass out from any kind of thinking.
After a while Havoc felt so sorry for him that he knelt down in front of the boy and tied the shoe laces slowly. Within his heart he knew that the gesture was not to only help the boy but also to ease his own guilt.
"There," he whispered and took the boy from under the armpits and helped him stand up. "All better now."
Edward looked up to him into his blue eyes and, all of a sudden, hugged him. Havoc startled for a moment but then drew his own arms around the boy's form and rubbed his back and hair. Apparently the hug was for good night since the boy relaxed and was about to drift off consciousness again.
Havoc took in a deep breath and turned his gaze to Hawkeye.
"Maybe I should go with you," He said tightening his hold of the boy to prevent him from falling down. "Kid will never stay awake. "
"You'll take care of Colonel, I'll manage myself."
The man nodded and bent his head lower to the boy's level and whispered: "Good night, kiddo."
The pair left the apartment, the older supporting the younger. Havoc closed the door after them and rested his head against it. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow.
Back in the living room, Mustang raised his glass yet again and stated: "Bless the Lieutenant, she is one efficient woman."
Sometimes Havoc really wanted to kill his commanding officer.
...
...
...
Hawkeye slumped onto the sofa and glanced at the clock: It was already midnight.
She had called Gracia if Edward could spend a night at the Hughes's and the woman had agreed immediately. It had taken much effort from them to get the boy upstairs into his room and while Gracia changed the boy's outfit into pajamas, she made tea. Now the water was boiling and she regretted in her mind not to have accepted Havoc's offer. Her back was going to kill her in the morning.
"Are you angry at him?" Gracia walked down the stairs in a white night gown. Her hair was brushed and she still had makeup on. The woman did look nothing like a person ready to go to sleep.
"A bit," she shrugged and watched as the mother went to the kitchen to fetch their drinks. "I know he didn't mean this to happen but I think it is irresponsible to drink in front of children."
Gracia nodded smiling slightly and offered the First Lieutenant a cup.
"How is he doing?" Hawkeye asked when she thought the moment was right. She saw worry flash on Gracia's face.
"He is sleeping. He is in no life danger but the doctors are going to keep him in hospital for some time."
As they both sipped their drinks, Hawkeye let her eyes travel around the living room. There were two lilac couches facing each other. The woman had been told that on one of them Gracia had delivered her only biological child. She didn't know much about the event because Edward and Alphonse weren't eager to tell about it and Hughes… He just never brought it up.
The walls were full of paintings and photographs. Hawkeye knew Gracia loved decorating and her husband had given her all rights to do what she wanted in their home. The house itself held a very warm atmosphere and welcomed everyone into it.
At the end of the room, against the wall the other side of which was the kitchen, stood a bookshelf. It wasn't full of books as most of people would have liked it but filled with photographs, all of them in frames. Some of the pictures were from earlier years such as Gracia's or Maes' childhood or their dating years. Nevertheless, most of the pictures were of the pair's children and the family all together.
Gracia didn't stop Hawkeye from investigating the memories. When she noticed the woman looking at a picture of Edward, she decided to speak up.
"It's been so long since he was here last time."
"It must have been difficult," The First Lieutenant turned her gaze to Gracia. The woman smiled unhappily and looked down at the white porcelain cup.
"Maes missed him the most. He stayed up late thinking if Edward was alright or what he had been doing by day. I know he trusts Havoc but one just can't help the parental feelings."
Hawkeye couldn't think of anything to say so she just let her gaze travel to the small table next to the book shelf. It held three pictures: The left side picture was from academy times, Hawkeye was sure. Hughes and Mustang were both smiling, no one could tell if they were drunk or not, and younger man had his arm across the other's shoulders. Hughes did the same but also flashed his thumb behind Mustang's back. The woman couldn't help smiling.
The picture on the right side was of the whole Mustang group in their military uniforms: Havoc, Hughes, Breda, Falman, Fuery, Mustang, herself and Armstrong from the Investigations department. She wasn't actually sure how Major had gotten into the picture. Truth to be told, she knew barely anything of him.
The last picture on the middle, behind the medals, was of Hughes in his military outfit.
"Don't tell him Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant were drinking while Ed was there sleeping," Gracia started.
"He would give them a lesson. Maes never drinks at home. In bar yes, but not here. That's one of the things I love about him the most. He's so devoted to children. Always thinks of them first. Sometimes I wonder if he loves them more than me."
She could hear the love Gracia held for her husband in the woman's voice and saw it in her warm, brown eyes as she thought of their moments together.
"It's just different kind of love," Hawkeye left the wall and sat down next to the woman. She couldn't even count all the times Hughes had told everyone how devoted he was to his wife. "You're the center of his life. You gave him a daughter and that just made the love deeper. Children always do."
Gracia seemed to believe her words for she nodded much more happily. Hawkeye bit her lip and she thought of something to say. There was something she wanted to talk about but wasn't sure if it would be appropriate: they weren't actually the best of friends. The woman might also be in a very fragile state considering what happened to her husband but she decided to give it a try.
"You must have been shocked when... it... happened"
The woman didn't turn to look at her. Instead she lowered her head and her eyes filled with sadness as if the whole situation had been her fault.
"I had been expecting something to happen," Gracia said quietly. "I usually got between them when Maes' patience was growing thin but at that time I thought it would just be a stupid little quarrel, Edward would be pissed off for some time and things would become normal again. Apparently I was wrong."
Hawkeye nodded and decided to ask some other thing she had heard.
"I have heard that Edward's puberty is pretty difficult."
This time Gracia looked at her and was now genuinely smiling. "A bit more difficult maybe but he's still a sweet boy. He and Maes are against each other a lot but they have just as much good moments. They have spent many times together just talking, about what happens to boys when they grow up. It's so sweet."
Gracia stood up and walked to the book shelf and picked up a framed picture.
"This was taken-" the woman walked back to Hawkeye and gave the picture to her," in July, I think. You have to ask Maes, he remembers each of these pictures."
The photograph had been taken in a park, or at least it looked like it. Hughes and Edward both were in normal clothes. Hughes wore black trouser and a purple shirt and was giving the boy a piggyback ride. Edward was wearing jeans and white, loose- fitting t-shirt. He was not wearing gloves which caused the automail ankle and most of the right arm to be visible but neither seemed to be caring about it.
Hawkeye couldn't help looking at the picture. It seemed to be the one thing that proved all of her suspicions to be false.
"Hughes certainly loves him."
Gracia, who had sat down next to her, looked at the picture also. "Yes, he does. Not counting the looks, anyone would think they're biologically connected. I'm sure this whole thing was partly a reason why Maes got that seizure or whatever it was."
Her voice quieted down in the end of the sentence and she covered her mouth to keep from falling apart. Hawkeye was gentle enough to keep her eyes in the picture and let the other have some privacy.
"I'm sure everything will turn out to be just fine in the end," Gracia said, trying to assure the both of them. "By what Maes has told me, Edward has began to forgive him and I think that this thing just helps everything to clear out."
"You're right," Hawkeye nodded.
...
...
...
When Edward woke up in the morning, he couldn't remember why he felt so anxious. Then all the memories from yesterday rushed back to him like a tsunami. He grasped the cover tightly and drew it over his nose. He took in a deep breath and prepared to face the familiar smell he had smelt everyday for the past week.
What he smelt was a clean cloth, but there was still something familiar in it. He couldn't smell cigarette scent or any of those other things Havoc smelled like.
The yellow eyes opened in a split second and the boy sat up. He looked around the room and recognized it immediately: this was his bedroom.
Edward noticed nothing had been changed; the bed was in the same place on the left side of the desk which stood in front of the window. The curtains were the same blue ones, and all the papers and books were in their places.
The opposite wall was full of papers which held various alchemy symbols and transmutation circles. The wardrobe was located closest to the door; it was full of normal, everyday clothes Gracia and Hughes had bought him hoping he would like them.
The room was so much like him, mostly because Edward had been given permission to decorate it himself. He didn't care about keeping it clean although Gracia forced him to hoover it every Friday.
The boy drew the cover away slowly and noticed, to his great horror, that his clothes had been changed. What had happened? He remembered having taken most of his clothes off at Havoc's but he had not changed into pajamas.
Edward looked to his left and saw his clothes on the wooden chair beside the desk. Who had taken them away? What had happened?
Still in shock, the boy stood up and hurried the stairs downstairs. He wandered to kitchen and saw Gracia and Elysia beside the table. The woman wore white trousers that gave away most of her amazing figure and black top with white woolen jacket. She was already wearing makeup and her hair was perfectly in place. All in all, the woman looked ready to go to meet Fuhrer if the invitation came.
"Good morning, Edward," Gracia smiled genuinely and stopped eating her porridge. She stood up to meet the boy's confused gaze.
"Morning," He muttered surprised and looked around the kitchen. "How did I end up here?"
"Hawkeye brought you, I don't think you remember. You were practically sleeping on your feet."
"Has there been-?"
The woman shook her head, sadness filling her eyes. Suddenly Edward felt sorry for her, but also felt guilty in his own part.
"The doctors said it's likely he will return to his normal self, but he still needs a lot of rest. I and Elysia are going to see him today."
"Okay," Edward lowered his gaze sad. The woman walked up to him and hugged him warmly.
"I can't thank you enough, Edward. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened."
Edward felt the familiar burning in his eyes and wrapped his arms around the woman who was so much like his own mother.
"This is all my fault," He said in a broken voice. Gracia didn't draw away from the hug but tightened her hold of the boy and whispered soothing voices to his ear.
"Edward, you must not do that. This has nothing to do with you. Whatever Maes had, you didn't cause it."
"I just feel so guilty," Edward whispered and pressed his face into the woman's chest. They stayed like that for a minute, consoling each other.
"Now," Gracia took the boy's face into her hands, wiping the trails of tears away with her thumbs. "Go and take a shower and change your clothes. You know where to find them."'
Edward nodded a bit, and Gracia smiled sweetly. Suddenly, a brown haired little girl grabbed the boy's leg.
"Ed niisan!" Elysia cried happily. The girl was wearing a pink t-shirt, green dress and white stockings. She was bouncing up and down next to the boy.
"You came back, you came back!" The girl hugged the boy around the legs excitedly, and earned a hug herself.
"For a while, yeah," Edward nodded, not wanting to make the girl sad. He thought it was better not to tell the girl the truth. She was still so young and innocent- she wouldn't understand. Edward himself had missed Elysia lot, and was sure the feeling was mutual. Of course, the girl had many friends in the neighborhood but a sibling was always special: not only because brother or sister was always there but because of the many things they shared that created a tight bond of companionship.
"Come on!" The girl pulled the boy's hand to get him to follow her.
...
Edward played with his sister for couple of hours. They drew pictures and played with dolls. He even let the girl make his hair up and use her imagination freely, without cutting, of course. He couldn't bear losing a strand of his hair.
Elysia stood on a brown, wooden stool like a professional hair stylist, and held comb on her right, and pink ribbon on the other. Edward sat on the floor legs crossed and didn't seem to be noticing anything. Occasionally Elysia would ask simple questions like "How's your family?" that she had heard hair stylists use. The boy would only make a soft sound in his throat and swim in his thoughts.
He had to see Hughes, he had to explain and apologize. Edward grimaced at the thought; he could never apologize to anyone. Even getting the words out of his mouth was too much. Of course, he could apologize insincerely, but when he had really done something wrong and hurt somebody's feelings, then it was impossible to express in those three words how regretting he felt.
He could remember one time when he had really hurt Colonel's feelings. He had been twelve and still couldn't understand, or remember in what way he had insulted the man. The only things he could remember was that Havoc had threatened him with a gun to get him to apologize. He had been so scared that the man would really shoot him that he had started to cry. Both the men thought it was his way to say "I'm sorry" and the whole incident had been long forgotten.
"Now, it's ready," Elysia exclaimed and drew her hands in the air. Edward took the mirror from beside him and looked at his reflection. The girl had tied his hair into a ponytail, but because she was not very strong, the ribbon was hanging very low. To cover up the fact, the girl had put many butterflies and flowers into his hair.
"This is great, Elysia," Edward said and was grateful that Hughes was not home to take pictures. "Listen, play on your own for a while, okay. Nii-san has to do something on his own."
"Okay," the girl nodded and sat on to the floor and took her pencils.
Edward smiled at the sight and closed the door behind him. He hurried the stairs downstairs. He had to be quick if he wanted his plan to work out.
"Gracia, I'm going for a walk," He called the woman as he put on his shoes. Now, when not under heavy medicament, the task was much easier than in the evening.
Gracia came from the kitchen and nodded. "Okay, but don't be long. And remember to take your scarf and hat, it is going to be a cold day."
Edward nodded and took the said items out of the closet, bid his farewell and closed the door.
...
...
There was one thing Edward did not trust: buses. He couldn't explain why; they were just big cars that could absorb a lot of people. Maybe his aversion to them had been born when he had heard Breda complain about them always being late on schedule.
He had rode those a handful of times, and found them always full of people. So was today, as he stepped into one in his red winter jacket, not his regular one. He had been lucky that the right bus had come nothing but two minutes after he had arrived at the bus station.
He dropped the right amount of money to the money box and got a ticket. He began to wander forward and tried to find a place to sit. Soon enough he noticed that all of the places had been taken by older people and couple of younger children had occupied some also. Edward looked above him and saw the handles that adults hold on to; he was way too short to reach them. When finding no other way, he put his hand on one of the benches to keep in balance.
He had no problem when the car was moving but when it stopped to take more passengers, the laws of physic proved Edward's efforts to be in vain. First he leaned back to try to keep standing upright but then, all of the sudden, the force sent him forward. He fell onto the floor on his stomach with a loud "THUD".
Everyone, even the driver looked at his direction. They had noticed a little boy alone in the vehicle and had decided to keep an eye on him.
Edward stood up with the help of some kind man, who wiped the dust of the front of his jacket with his hand.
"You can take my seat if you want. My stop is the next," the man smiled at him. He was in forties and had a brown hair, dark eyes and thin, brown moustache. The man looked vey educated and intelligent and a leader person. The boy thought he could very well be working in a bank, the man's suit was very expensive.
"Thanks," Edward smiled a bit embarrassed and sat down on to the seat. He sighed inwardly for the wonderful feeling.
"So," the man took leaned to the seat like Edward had before. "May I ask you where you are going?"
Edward hesitated for a split second; Hughes had warned him not to talk to strangers, no matter how good persons they seemed like.
But still, maybe Hughes's advices weren't so good if they led the man to the hospital.
"I-," Edward started but stopped for a second. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."
He could feel Hughes smiling somewhere and clapping is shoulder.
"Ah," the man nodded understanding. "At least you have caring parents. That one is a very good advice. You're a smart little boy."
"Who are you calling smart?" Edward hissed, eyes squirting with anger. The man just laughed.
"Oh, you're that kind of a kid. Wait- wait," he stopped his laughing and looked at the boy puzzled. "Are you the Fullmetal Alchemist?"
The bus came to a stop. Edward stared at the man, not knowing what to say.
"Isn't this your stop?"
The man left the car, but remembered to wave him as he went and blink one of his eye lids.
Edward wasn't sure if the man had understood him or not.
...
...
The hospital was full of people. The cheap chairs were all occupied, and the cheap tables had newspapers and tabloids on them. The wall were white and full of posters about phone numbers and advices about poisoning, mental problems, burn outs and Edward even recognized one that taught the right way to perform CPR.
"Excuse me," He walked to the woman who seemed to be the one in charge of visitors. She was old and had dry, brown hair tied on a bun. She wore white, traditional nurse dress.
"Yes, dear," she looked at the boy suspiciously, like not believing her eyes.
"I'm looking for Maes Hughes. Can you please-"
"I'm sorry, dear, but visiting hours haven't started yet."
Edward put his hands on the disk. "But he is my father!" He insisted and tried to make himself look as young as possible. He had travelled a long way to the hospital; he was not giving up easily.
The woman sighed a bit and turned to a much younger woman behind of her.
"Do you know anything about that military guy that was brought here?"
"That handsome man?" The young nurse blushed and nearly dropped the papers she was wearing. Edward slammed his head to the desk: this was not something he wanted to see. Okay, even he could see Hughes was quite good looking for a man, but the reaction the nurse gave was too much.
The elderly woman seemed to think the same as the boy.
"Yes, well, this," she pointed to Edward who raised his gaze, "is the son of ´that handsome man´."
The nurse's smile dropped immediately and she looked like having been thrown out of her wonderland.
"If I heard right, they are performing some tests on him right now."
"So I have to wait for the visiting hours," Edward lowered his gaze; there went his chance to talk with Hughes alone. He thanked the women and walked out of the doors to the cold autumn air. The sky was grey once again and the wind was blowing heavily. He positioned his red hat properly onto his head and tightened his white, woolen scarf around his neck.
He walked to the nearest station and moved his forefinger along the schedule. His eyes widened with shock: the next bus wouldn't come in two hours!
The road was long: If he walked, it would take one and a half hours at least. He would be so late for dinner. Gracia would get worried, and then he would be in trouble.
Without wasting another moment, the boy began to rush back.
...
...
If Edward thought he would get back to the house without Gracia noticing, he was completely wrong. When he turned the key in the lock, he could see the woman standing there, arms on her hips, looking at him sternly.
"O-ou."
Gracia smiled unhappily. "You're completely right. Where have you been?"
"On a walk," the boy lowered his head and attempted to do his best puppy dog eye look that the woman would not be so angry at him.
"You were gone for three hours. I was worried sick!"
"I'm sorry," Edward said sincerely and felt even worse than he already did when noticing glittering in the woman's eyes. She had not been lying. "I won't do it again."
Gracia nodded and stepped aside to let the boy in.
"Elysia and I already ate the dinner but I saved some for you."
"Thanks," Edward said and took of his jacket and shoes and other outdoor clothes. He felt touched by the care Gracia showed towards him: she made sure he had dry and clean clothes and that there was enough food for everyone. She even saved it for later, not caring about the trouble it caused her.
"She is a real mother," the boy whispered and felt tears starting to form painfully into his eyes. He shut his eyes tightly and forced himself to think of something else. There was no need to cry. He had only gotten what he deserved.
He walked to the kitchen and stopped for a moment. Havoc was sitting on one of the chairs. There was a cup of coffee in front of him. The man himself looked worn out: he had bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. Truth to be told, Havoc's hair was always a mess but in a stylish way, now it just looked like a bird's nest.
Still, the man managed a small smile as the boy sat down opposite him.
"Hey there, runt."
"Same to you, drunk," Edward answered quietly, not noticing the man's word for "short".
The Second Lieutenant leaned closer to the boy.
"Ed, I'm terribly sorry for what happened. Usually I don't lose my control with drinking."
"It's okay, Hawkeye was over-reacting," Edward said quietly. He was not sure if Gracia knew what had happened but he didn't want to take any risks.
"No, she wasn't. I should have stayed sober with you being there. What if something would have happened?"
Immediately after saying it, the man put a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes tightly.
"A bad hangover?" Edward asked not feeling too much compassion for the man.
"Yeah, but not as horrible as Colonel has but I think he'll live. There was so much noise in the bathroom this morning," Havoc laughed bitterly. "Half-dead couldn't manage to do so."
Gracia set a bowl of vegetable soup in front of the boy.
"Eat well, and then we can go to the hospital."
Edward nodded and took the spoon into his left hand.
"Where is Elysia?" He asked as he lifted the spoon full of soup and blew into it.
"In her room."
The boy nodded again. Havoc leaned closer to him; he could tell Edward was hiding something.
"Havoc," the boy started quietly, not looking the man in the eyes. "I have to tell you something."
"Okay."
Looking over his shoulder to the kitchen, Edward made sure Gracia was not listening. The woman seemed to be doing something.
"I- I know I shouldn't have but- I went to the hospital. They didn't let me see Hughes so-"
"Edward Jonathan Elric, am I hearing right?"
The boy gulped as the woman came to the room even more furious than she had previously been.
"Gracia," Havoc lifted his hands in an attempt to make peace. "It's no big deal."
"Be quiet!" Gracia snapped to the man who immediately lowered his hands. The boy slid lower in his seat as idf it would ease the woman's fury. " Edward, I'm very disappointed in you. I told you before that hospital has visiting hours and we must obey them. You can be grateful if I'll even let you come along after this."
"But-"¨
"No buts!"
The woman went back to the kitchen but still looked at the boy disapprovingly behind her shoulder. Edward was quiet for a moment; he had never seen Gracia so angry before. The last time he had seen the woman with so much energy in her had been the night Elsyai had been born.
The boy looked at Havoc who shook his head and took a sip of his drink.
Edward lowered his gaze and went on eating.
...
...
...
Another trip to the hospital was, if possible, even worse than the first one. First they had to wait for five minutes until the receptionist was free to help them. It was the very same woman that Edward had met in the morning. She eyed Edward not-so-pleased. The boy tried to make himself as invisible and possible.
He wished that Havoc had come with them but the man was waiting outside. Havoc was so tall and muscular that he could have easily hid behind the man's back. Something about the lady's gaze was making him nervous.
"You'll only get what you deserve," Havoc had waved his hand smirking, when he had asked him to come along. Not even his best puppy dog eye look had gotten the man change his mind. Edward guessed that the man was a natural older brother type who could easily ignore such things.
Still, at that moment, he thought that the man was just cold-hearted and loved to see him suffer.
Finally they made it to the ward where Hughes was said to be. Outside the room there stood the doctor.
Edward guessed he was about the same age as Falman. The man wore the standard white doctor jacket and black slacks. His hair was something between grey and white. Worry lines decorated the man's forehead and made him seem wise and kind-hearted.
"Good afternoon," the man smiled at the three of them and offered his hand to Gracia. She shook it as he presented himself.
"I'm Doctor Jameson. You must be his wife."
Gracia nodded managing to form a smile onto her lips. "Yes, I'm Gracia Hughes and these are our children. Or actually two of them," She corrected waving her hands to Edward and Elysia. The boy looked at the woman astonished. This was the first time he had heard either of the Hughes' call him their son.
He couldn't tear of his eyes of the woman, not until he heard a male voice call his name.
"Edward, did you fall asleep?"
The boy blinked and seemed to wake up from his thoughts.
"Sorry," he said ashamed and scratched the back of his head. The doctor didn't seem to care that he had not been listening to his words. Apparently the man was used to people not understanding his speeches.
"I heard that you were the one who found your father."
Edward didn't care to correct everything the doctor had just said so he just stuck to the most important fact.
"I was with him when it happened," He lowered his hand and looked the old man straight into his brown eyes. His own yellow eyes widened with sadness as he remembered the moment.
Doctor Jameson glanced at his papers and nodded: "Did you notice anything weird about him?"
"Well, he said he had a headache. Then he seemed to lose his balance, like he was dizzy. "
"You know, I would have liked to talk to you yesterday but no one knew where you were."
"He was too shocked," Gracia raised her hand to silence the man. "Edward needed his rest."
The doctor nodded clearly understanding. He motioned them to follow him to the room. There were people on both sides of the room, five in a row. Some beds had white curtains around them to give some privacy. Edward let his eyes travel around the room and looked at the other patients: a man just next to the door had a nasty wound on the forehead and seemed to be sleeping. To Edward, he seemed to be dead.
On the left side, there laid a woman in the third bed. Her arm was covered in bandages but she smiled warmly at the sight of children coming in. He quickly turned his gaze away and gulped. None of the people in the room had any serious injuries but even being in the hospital made him feel sick.
"How are we doing today?"
Edward noticed others had already reached the end of the room. They were around the last bed on the left. Curiously he walked a bit closer but then stopped.
Hughes was lying on the white sheets, under the white cover. He wore the same hospital cloth Edward wore at least seven times in a year, and Edward sighed relieved. He got into a hospital so often he knew that there were different clothes for serious and not so serious cases.
The thing Hughes was wearing, green shirt and pants, was for the latter.
Yet, there were machines around the man. The boy only recognized EKG- monitor and IV, but others looked familiar also, like the thing that was on Hughes's left hand's forefinger.
Hughes answered the man's question by lifting his left hand.
"I'm going to live," he smiled weakly. "Right?"
"You most certainly are," the doctor nodded assuring his patient. He put the papers in front of his eyes again.
"We got your test results. Want to hear them?"
"I have nothing better to do."
The doctor began the list explaining everything the best he could. As interested in human anatomy as Edward was, he lost his skill to concentrate and focused his eyes on Hughes. The man looked weary and somehow different. The boy frowned: Was he only thinking of the man differently now?
Then it struck him like lighting from the sky- Hughes was not wearing his glasses. They were lying on the small table next to the man's bed. Edward had become so used to spectacled Hughes that he couldn't even imagine him not wearing them. But… could he even see without them?
"All in all," The doctor looked at Hughes ," you're going to need lot of rest, no kind of stress for some time or you might not be so lucky next time."
The man nodded stroking his two year-old daughter's hair but then bent his neck to look at Edward. The boy was standing in the middle of the room like his feet had been nailed to the floor.
"Gracia," Edward heard the man say but then he quieted his voice down so much his words became nothing more than buzz.
"Elysia," Gracia took her daughter's hand. "Let's go to the cafeteria and get us something to eat."
"But I want to stay with Daddy!" The girl protested, grapping her father's left hand like it was her favourite teddy bear.
"Go on, sweetie," Hughes said. "Daddy wants to talk with Ed- Niisan. "
Tears formed into Elysias's eyes but she let go and took her mother's hand instead. Hughes ruffled the girl's hair smiling and nodded to the doctor who left also. Edward noticed that the old man glanced at him quite intensively before leaving the room. Edward knew what he looked at: his pupils.
No one was sure why he had yellow eyes. He remembered visiting a military doctor who had wanted to make him go through various tests if there was something seriously wrong with his eyes. Some people he had met had even suggested he would lose his eyesight.
"Ed."
Hughes propped himself up against the pillows but then put a hand onto his forehead and lowered his head.
This got Edward to walk to the man as quickly as he could without starting to run.
"Take it easy," he supported the man from his shoulder. Concern was tick in the boy's voice and it caused Hughes to shake his head.
"This is nothing to worry about, only a low blood-pressure."
The man sighed and rested himself properly. Sitting there, he inspected the boy's face and felt something painful in his heart. Edward looked tired, worried and ready to burst into tears.
"Kiddo," He gently touched the boy's cheek with his right hand. Edward put his own, gloved flesh hand over it lowering his gaze.
"You must have been terrified."
The child couldn't make himself to face the man. "I'm just so tired," he whispered and felt himself being pulled to the bed next to the man.
"I know," Hughes said as he guided the boy to lie down next to him. The man turned his back to the other people in the room and drew the boy closer to him. "I'm tired too. Let's just start again from the beginning, okay?"
Edward nodded and relaxed a bit as Hughes stroked his hair.
"Why aren't you wearing them?" The boy looked his father-figure in the eyes.
"What?" The man raised his eyebrow.
"Your glasses. "
"Oh," Hughes nodded slowly. "I only need them for distances. I can see you perfectly well. "
"Everyone can see us."
Frowning a bit, Hughes looked over his shoulder and saw that the boy was right: everyone had been watching them.
He had been in the investigations department long enough to notice things that others usually missed. Even now, while being recovering, he could catch the signs. Everyone was either reading something, or looking at the wall or pretending to be asleep.
As much as he wanted to, Hughes did not send evil glares towards the other patients, only asked Edward to move the curtain.
"I would do it myself but I'm a bit stuck here now," He motioned to all the wires connected to his body.
Edward seemed to notice them also and jumped up from the bed.
"Are you crazy?" He hissed through clenched teeth, fists tightly against his sides like a little child having a tantrum. The only thing that was missing was kicking of foot.
Hughes's face became stern for a while. "Edward, you needed it," he said in a low voice that left no room for arguing.
The boy breathed heavily for a moment but then began to calm down.
"Besides," Hughes smiled when he thought the moment was right. "Aren't we all a bit insane?"
Those words of wisdom left the boy quiet. He had figured a long time ago that Hughes was not an ordinary person. At first there had been a kind and brave Military Officer who was always ready to help anyone who needed someone. Then came countless pictures and hours of bragging: that Hughes was impossible!
Major Maes Hughes was complicated. Edward thought that there was no one that could ever get the true picture of him. No one but Hughes himself would ever get to know the inner man within the body.
They looked at each other for a while and then Hughes opened his arms.
Without saying a word, Edward hugged the man around the neck. He closed his eyes as Hughes drew his own arms around him carefully, making sure IV would not get tangled.
The boy pressed his forehead and eyes against Hughes's shoulder.
While standing there, Edward came to a realization that even if he would never get to know the true Hughes, this one was good enough. His heart told him that this one was his real father: the one that cared for him and would see him grow up to an adult.
The boy smiled a bit: This Hughes was his and no one would take him away nor would he ever leave. He was sure of that.
...
...
...
A/N: Was this chapter too long, in WORD, it took 24 pages. This seems like a perfect place to end the wole story but there is more to come! I hope, I'm not sure when I'll get it written. My muse is so... unbalanced.
Now, all of my reviewers: Do you have any suggestions? I really need suggestins and reviews, they help me to update faster. All kinds of suggestions are allowed: from "Edward eating peanut butter" to "Hughes killing himself". Anything, I repeat, anything is allowed! Do not be afraid or ashamed, I won't judge anyone! I, of course , will take the right to use the sugestions in my story. I might change them to fit the plot better, so if you don't want you ideas to be changed, tell me.
So now, reviews, please =)