"Golden yet dull"

"Hi"

The boy stared at the man for a moment before he looked away and ignored him. Roy raised a brow and sat down in the grass at the boy's side, but the blonde didn't move or say something, so he remained silent. However, the man was losing his patience.

"So, it's seems that it's a common tradition to come to the gardens to escape from the lab environment"

He was expecting a reaction from the kid, but nothing happened. What was his problem anyway? Roy sighed and shut his mouth, if the blonde didn't want to talk, he wouldn't the one to force him. Both remained like that for a long time, the man was sure that maybe the doctors were looking for him already, but he really wasn't in the mood to go back right now…or ever, but not for now at least.

"Are you new here?"

Roy almost jumped at the sudden question. He glanced at the kid who was not looking at him, but certainly hadn't that angry face he had a while ago.

"Kind of, I've been here for a month now"

The boy looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, "A month?"

The man nodded and the boy did a 'Mm' sound, but didn't say another word. What talkative boy…

"The name's Roy Mustang, nice to meet you", he said as he raised his hand to the blonde.

The kid stared at him for a moment, but then grabbed it and shook it, "Nice to meet you too"

Roy raised both brows confused at the kid's attitude, "Well, it's common sense that when someone tells you their name you tell them yours, you know?"

"Why? I didn't ask your name"

"…You're a rude boy"

The man stared at the kid in annoyance, but the boy wasn't paying attention to him so he sighed trying to calm down. 'It's a kid, remember? A kid…a rude kid but a kid anyway'

"Can I ask you what are you doing here?", Roy said finally trying to get the information he was looking for when he decided to come here.

The boy yawned and placed his chin on his arms hugging his legs, "Just enjoying the view"

"I'm not talking about here in the gardens", the man said almost impatient, "I'm talking about the Lab. What is it a boy like you doing here?"

The blonde moved his face and looked at the man confused, "You really don't know who I am?"

"….Should I?"

He stared at Roy for a moment, as he was analyzing if the man was lying, "...You don't look like a doctor?"

The dark-haired man flinched, but did his best to keep on his performance, "Meaning?"

"Your eyes", he said making the man look at him curious, "They seem different from the doctors I know"

"I'm sorry, but I really don't have any idea what are you talking about", Roy confessed slightly embarrassed, but interested.

However, he almost regretted he had asked when noticed how the blonde's face turned sad, "You seem more…sane"

Sane? This boy really knew something he didn't, "I'll take that as a compliment I guess, but you have to explain that for me"

The boy just averted his face and remained quiet, so Roy sighed in resignation. At least he was sure something was wrong here…

"Maybe my eyes are lying, you know?"

Mustang was surprised when the boy smiled…or grinned?, "Eyes never lie"

"So a kid says"

The blonde glared at the man almost offended, "At least I'm not an old guy pretending to be a know-it-all"

"…I haven't stated anything. You did it. Who is pretending to be a know-it-all again?"

He almost dropped his jaw, but just moved his head and hid his face with his bangs. Roy then decided to lay down in the grass since the boy didn't look like he was going to open his mouth soon. However, he saw how the blonde's face blocked the sky view.

"Why are you here?"

Mustang sat up as the boy looked at him curious but frowned. If he didn't have a good answer, he was sure the boy wasn't going to talk to him never again, "I was sent here. I don't like it, but I have to do it so I can be promoted"

Well, the kid's frown disappeared, so maybe he said the right thing, "I hadn't known anyone that hasn't asked to come here before you. All Scientists want to be here"

"…And do you happen to know why?"

The kid grinned mischievously. Yeah, of course he wasn't going to say what he knew. "Do you happen to know to do anything else that doesn't involve reading books?"

Roy lifted a brow, "…Like?"

He stood up with the grin still on his face, "Follow me"

The man did it without questions. He had won this round somehow, so he didn't want to screw it and just walked at the kid's side. Both headed through a path Roy didn't know and shot a glance everyone trying to see anything suspicious, but there was nothing. Just white walls and doors. Damn them and their white obsession.

The kid reached a door and opened it letting the man coming before he closed the door behind him. They had got into a colorless room –what a surprise – and the boy grabbed what it seemed to be a chessboard.

"Chess, do you know how to play?", the kid asked him with a smirk on his face as he was expecting the man to say no and make fun of him.

Roy smirked too, "Maybe, do you want to find out?"

He grinned, laid the chessboard on the table and opened it as he put the figures on their positions. Roy took a seat and stared at the…excited? Kid for a moment. He was sure he wasn't the only one there who could play chess, so why the boy seemed so happy?

The boy took a seat too and looked up at Roy, "I'll give you the pleasure to do the first move"

"Ohh, I see. You're an expert, aren't you?". The boy just smirked but didn't say anything. "Then I'll take the chance"

Roy moved a pawn and glanced at the kid to study him for a moment. He didn't look as the depressed boy he had seen just a few minutes ago, instead, he seemed quite happy, determinant and intelligent – as he noticed by his moves in chess - kid.

"Won't you answer my question I did out there?", Roy said suddenly as the boy moved a Knight. The blonde glanced at the man confused, "What are you doing here?"

"…No, I won't answer it", he said flatly watching how Mustang did his move.

"Why?"

"I just won't"

Roy almost growled, but decided to focus on his pieces and his strategy. Maybe it was too soon to ask, but he had to do it anyway.

"It's nothing personal", the boy added staring at the chessboard with a finger on his lips.

Mustang sighed, "Can I know your name at least?"

The blonde's face suddenly changed again into a sad one, but he forced a grin and looked up, "No, you can't"

Roy frowned. So he wasn't going to say anything at all? This was going to be harder than he thought. However, in that moment the door opened and Dr. Knox appeared with an angry face and both glanced at him. Mustang stood up, but the boy just looked away.

"Dr. Mustang, come with me please", he said flatly.

The man turned to the boy, but he had hid his face with his bangs, so he just walked and left the room followed by Knox who almost slammed the door shut.

"Dr. Knox, What's wron-?"

"I'll talk to you in the lab, not here"

Roy nodded and followed the man in silence. He was sure something wasn't right now, otherwise, why the man would be so angry? They soon arrived at the meeting hall where they gathered to present their advances in their projects and Dr. Marcoh, Dr. Majhal and Dr. Lyra were there with serious faces. Knox closed the door and signed Roy to take a seat, so he did.

"Dr. Mustang, we have to discuss this encounter with that kid", Marcoh began.

The man faked a confused face, "Why?"

"He is not just a 'kid'", Majhal continued frowning.

Roy stared at them, almost blinking, "I'm sorry, but I think I deserve more information"

Marcoh laid on his chair uncomfortable, "Dr. Mustang, that kid is here because he is an genus alchemist"

"…A genus?"

"Yes", Knox said, "But he could be dangerous, you shouldn't approach him so careless"

Dangerous?, "We were only playing chess, that could hardly be dangerous"

Lyra sighed, "Dr. Mustang, did he invite you to come to his room?"

The man nodded, so everyone looked at each other confused. Roy stared at them for a moment, but he decided to ask.

"Is that important?"

"Well", Lyra began, "We have never seen him like that…in a good mood"

Roy snorted, "I can't assure he was in a good mood, he just wanted to prove he was better than me"

"Even so", Marcoh said, "He had never tried to interact with us. He hates us and all the doctors that come here"

The dark-haired man didn't know what else to say. The boy's behavior had been so natural that he never suspected something like this.

"What can you tell about him? What's his name?", Roy tried trying to not to rise any hope.

Everyone looked at each other again, they seemed slightly preoccupied and concerned about the entire situation, but surprised too.

"That it's classified information, but we call him L001", Lyra said moving her hands not quite comfortable with the talk.

"…What kind of nickname is that for a little boy?"

"Dr. Mustang, you have to understand that we can't provide any information about the boy, at least not for now", Marcoh said almost harshly, "We will allow you to visit him since this is totally beyond precedents, but I strongly ask you to be cautious. You can go"

Roy nodded and stood up as he left the hall. He felt mad that they hadn't told him anything about the boy so he could investigate, but that only confirmed that there something bad behind this, otherwise there wouldn't be a problem for him to know everything.

So, a genus alchemist? Very impressive for a kid. He just hoped he would be able to see the boy in action sometime. The man opened the door of the boy's room and saw him in the window's frame reading a book, but the kid lifted a brow when he noticed him.

"Don't you want to play chess anymore? What a chicken", Roy said sitting at the table as the blonde approached him with a confused face, "What?"

"…I just thought they wouldn't let you come again", the boy said emotionless, but he sat in front of him, "You were next"

Roy nodded and moved a Knight, but he noticed the blonde was staring at him, "I don't appreciate being watched like that"

He flinched but looked down at his pieces, "How sensitive"

"Hey, you're talking to an adult, show some respect", the man said as he moved a Rook.

The boy moved a Bishop, "I'll show some respect to who deserves it"

Roy smirked, "Well, Jaque Mate then"

The blonde's eyes widened and stood up. He analyzed the chessboard more than five times before he laid in the chair again with his shocked face, "That can't be possible"

"It is possible"

The boy sighed and stood again to put the chessboard away. Roy then glanced around hoping he would find something to begin his research about the blonde, but he saw nothing else but books and furniture.

"Well, I have to say that no one had ever beat me on chess before, I give you the credit for that", the boy said seriously as he closed the drawer.

"And I don't deserve some respect for that?"

The blonde sat down in the chair again and smirked, "Maybe", he said glancing at the clock, "You have to go, Dr. Bastard"

"Hey!", Roy protested, "You're just a rude brat as I thought", he said crossing his arms.

The boy just pointed at the door, so the man stood up and left the room. However, Roy hurried to hide close to the blonde's room and managed to see how Lyra came and the kid followed her with an emotionless face.

Maybe the boy was a genus, but he was sure he wasn't here willingly. He just had to prove it.

…………….

"I've already sent you the rings catalog", Riza said through the phone as she looked around trying to check nobody was close enough to hear the conversation.

Roy sighed. "Elizabeth, I had seen all of them and I didn't like any for you, what do you want me to do?"

"To look more catalogs, we can't get marry without a engagement ring and you know it"

The man noticed that Marcoh had come closer to him discretely, "Why can't we get marry without all that cliché stuff?"

"Because I like that 'cliché stuff"

"I saw sometime a small one that I liked, but I couldn't get any information about the maker"

Riza wrote some things down in a paper, "You will have to look harder then. You must choose a ring before you come home or I will be very mad"

The man sighed again, "Right right, I'll call you later. Say hi to everyone"

"Bye"

Riza hang up and walked fast towards Hughes desk where he was talking through the phone, but ended the conversation when he saw the woman.

"What's wrong?", he asked her when the man noticed the confused face she had.

She handed him the paper and Hughes read it quickly and frowned. He looked up at Riza and she just nodded.

"This…This is for real?", he asked raising a brow and the woman nodded again.

"It was what he told me"

"But…he meant…like a kid?"

Both remained silent for a moment, but Riza took a seat and looked around to see if someone was there.

"This is even more serious than we thought", she began as Hughes rip the paper off, "A kid…"

"Let's just hope that it's not something like that", the man said with sorrow. Of course he was trying to lie to himself, but there wasn't anything he could to.

"I just have a bad feeling about this, he shouldn't have gone alone"

"Maybe, but that wasn't up to us to decide"

Hughes remained thoughtful for a moment, but then stood up, "I'll go to check if I can find something about this, you have to go back"

Riza nodded and walked away as Hughes stared at her worried. A kid wasn't on their plans, he was sure that they wouldn't hurt Roy if this was about prisoners on death penalty, but if a boy was there, that proved how insane they were.

The man headed to the National Library, of course he wouldn't find anything relevant, but maybe a lead would come up and be able to help Roy from the outside. That's all he could do this time and he hated it.

…………