"Breaking his habits"
Ed rolled his eyes for the thousandth time. Roy was talking to a woman yet again and he was there carrying some bags standing on his feet. He had done this for the tenth time at least, he was sure. The boy took a seat and waited until the man finished flirting – or whatever he was doing.
The kid hugged the bags and looked everywhere somewhat overwhelmed by the crowd in there…he had never seen so much people gathered together in one place before and all of they seemed happy just for buying stuff…He wasn't that comfortable since he knew he could hurt anyone if something happened…
However, something caught his attention. He stood up trying not to drop the bags and stopped front of a store window. A long crimson coat was there on a dummy and he quickly decided that he liked it, so he entered the store. Ed directed towards the coat to check on the prize, but his jaw almost went to the floor as he sweat dropped and lowered his head in resignation.
What he didn't know, was that Roy was looking at him discretely as he talked to the woman and he smiled. The kid got out of the store and glared at the man because he was still with the girl, but Roy didn't even notice. Pissed off, he walked towards him and grabbed his hand.
"Hey Dad, can we eat something?"
Roy's jaw did drop and glanced at the kid shocked, but when he saw the smirk the boy had, he frowned. However, the woman was already saying goodbye and disappeared from the place.
"Thanks a lot", the man said annoyed.
"I'm hungry and you didn't seem to have the intention of finish with the girl soon"
"That's not a reason to scare her!"
"Why do you care anyway? You almost have a date for each day of the week"
The man sighed, "You're just a kid"
"…What's that suppose to mean?"
Roy just walked towards the store Ed had gone in, but he grabbed his arm.
"That's store no, it's too expensive"
However, the man just kept walking at the kid's protests and entered the store, but Ed remained outside; maybe Roy wanted to buy something for himself. A few minutes later, the man showed up with a big bag and signed the kid to follow him towards the food area.
"I thought you would like this", Roy said as he took out what he had on the bag: the crimson coat of course.
Edward stopped and stared at the man as he shook his head, "No! Why did you buy it? It was too expensive!"
"…Well, if you don't want it, I think I will have to give it to a poor kid since it's so small for me", the man said examining the coat. Ed growled at the 'small' comment, but lowered his head, "It's Ok, take the chance since I'm in a good mood even thought you messed up with my date"
The kid scratched his head almost regretting he had done that to the man…almost anyway. Roy handed him the coat and Ed looked at it amazed, he really liked it, "…Thanks"
The man turned to see him with a smile, "Anytime. However, I have to insist that you should buy some short sleeved shirts too, I don't get why you don't like them"
"…I just don't"
"But the weather here is quite hot in summer, you know?"
Ed shook his head, "No, I don't want short sleeved shirts"
Roy rolled his eyes; well he was stubborn, wasn't he? They got into another store and the kid quickly looked for the long sleeved shirts, but Roy grabbed some short ones.
"Look, they're nice, give them a shot at least"
The kid glared at him, but since he was sure the man wouldn't give up, he decided to please him, "I'll try them, but If I don't like them you will stop bothering me about that?"
Roy nodded, so Edward grabbed the shirt and got into the fitting room. The man looked around for some shoes for him, but the kid was taking away too long this time, so he decided to check on him. He knocked at the door, but when he didn't receive a response, Roy opened the door only to see the blonde standing in the middle of the room staring at his reflection in the mirror. However, that wasn't what caught his attention…but the automail arm the boy had.
"Ed?"
The boy flinched and turned around with a shocked face trying to move so he could would hide the automail. The man stared at him with wide eyes, but then got into the room and closed the door.
"Hey, that's ok, you shouldn't be ashamed of that, you know?", he said as he kneeled and grabbed the kid's shoulders.
Edward just lowered his head with a sad face and let Roy see the automail. He couldn't hide it anymore anyway, "I just…didn't want you to know"
"Why? Having automail is pretty normal these days"
The kid looked up and stared at Roy's obsidian eyes for a second. He didn't know why, but he could see a hint of understandement on them, so he merely nodded. "Let's get out of here…please"
The man stood up and nodded, "You were hungry, weren't you?"
Ed changed his shirt quickly and approached the man with a tiny smile, "Yeah, I'm starving"
………………..
"So, are you sure the kid is staying with Mustang?"
Basque Grand glanced at the Fuhrer and nodded, "Yeah, it had been confirmed"
Bradley drew a wide and pleased smile, "Then everything is going on as planned"
"However", the Brigadier General said frowning, "I have to tell you, Sir, Mustang is not stupid. He will suspect if we just let him have the kid"
The Fuhrer nodded, "I see. Do you think we shouldn't make his life so easy?"
"Yes, they already found information regarding the boy. Insignificant, but they managed to do it"
"I think he suspects already anyway", the man said standing up from his chair and leading to the window, "Since they took over the lab so easily and the fact that they found information about the kid inside the headquarter"
Basque Grand stared at him for a moment before he stood up at his side, "Aren't you worried about this, sir?"
"Not really. Even if he finds out the truth, it will be already too late. I'll make sure of that"
The Brigadier General nodded, "Have you heard something about the Alchemists Union?"
"The same. They're after the boy too, but I think they know that what we have done was for the best, so they will wait until the kid is ready"
"So basically we will have to be after them to be the first to catch the boy when he is ready"
Bradley nodded, "Basically"
Basque Grand stared at the window for a moment, but then turned around, "Then I'll pay a visit to Mustang this afternoon"
The man saluted the Fuhrer and left the office closing the door behind him while Bradley smiled looking through at the sky through the window. Yeah, everything was going as planned.
…………
"So"
Edward took a sip of his orange juice and swallowed it before he glanced at Roy waiting for the question, "So…"
The man stared at his golden eyes for a second before he continued, "Why do you feel you need to hide your arm?"
The kid sighed and remained silently taping his fingers in the table. Roy respected his silence assuming the boy was deciding whether to tell the man or not about the automail, "…I…Well, It's not that I want to hide it…"
"…But?", Edward looked up at the man and bit his lip, but the his face told Mustang that he didn't know how to tell what he wanted to say, so he took a step forward, "How did you….?"
Ed drew a painful smile, "That's why I don't want anyone to see it…I don't want to tell the 'how' or 'why'"
Roy was slightly surprised by the answer, but merely nodded, "I understand"
Both ate in silence hearing just the voice of the people around them; Edward avoiding the man's onyx eyes slightly ashamed, although he didn't know why. Roy just decided to keep quiet, he was sure the blonde would talk to him when he was ready…or sooner than he thought.
"I lied to you…slightly"
The man flinched at the sudden comment, but stared at the kid with a confused gaze, "What do you mean?"
"I-I truly didn't know about my name…but I had had dreams about my past, before I got into the lab…", he said with a hollow voice, so Roy stop eating and heard at the boy attentive, "My mom died, that's why they could take me to the lab without too much troubles"
The man nodded understandingly, but didn't say a word so the kid would keep talking without interruptions.
"They always treated me as a lab rat as you witnessed, and they never told me how they found out about my alchemy skill, I'm not sure about that…but", Edward's eyes suddenly become void and his voice lowered until it was almost a whisper, "I thought that if I could bring my mom back, I could go out of there being happy and forget about alchemy"
Roy didn't like where the conversation was heading, but he moved closer to the blonde so anyone could hear his voice.
"When I was 8 years old…I thought I had enough knowledge to bring her back", he continued clenching his fists, "And I tried. As you can guess, I failed…I miserably failed and lost a limb because of that"
The man kept staring at the boy and Ed noticed it so he looked up with a few tears of anger in his eyes. However, the blonde's fists loosened and his face relaxed a bit.
"Why do you look me like that?"
Roy blinked a few times trying to figure out if the voice of the kid was telling him if he was angry, scared or who knows what, but he couldn't tell, "Like what?"
"…Like if you could understand me…not pity or hate for doing something forbidden…"
The man couldn't hold back a smile and he leaned his face on his hand with the elbow on the table, "Maybe because I do understand you"
"…What do you mean?"
Roy closed his eyes, "I lost both of my parents in a train accident when I was 15 years old", he said slowly and quiet, clearly trying to show the kid he was over that now.
Edward lowered his eyes sadly, "I'm sorry"
The man nodded, "I was training for being an excellent alchemist to get the State Alchemist certification, but as you can image, I was devastated. I researched about human transmutation of course and thought I was ready"
The boy's eyes widened…he…he had…?
"However, I just couldn't", the man confessed ashamed with a pitiful smile on his face, "I couldn't stop thinking that my parents would never forgive me if sometime went wrong…they would never forgive the fact that I gave my back to their teachings about life and how I should live it no matter what…in other words, I wasn't brave enough", Roy finished with an even more pitiful laugh.
"…Or stupid enough", the kid added staring at his automail hand.
"Don't be so hard with yourself. You can be a genus and all, but you're still a kid"
Edward snorted, but began to eat again without another word of the matter. Roy was really curious about how the transmutation went and what happened, but that was enough for one day…as if the boy life hadn't been traumatic enough just with the lab. If they would have been responsible and cared about Ed, they would have trained him and this wouldn't have happened surely.
They finished eating and Roy convinced the blonde to try on a vanilla ice cream. He was hesitant to lick on that creamy white stuff, but he didn't regret it.
"Ice cream, eh?", Ed said licking the dessert, "Tastes even better than stew"
"Maybe, but you will get fat if you only eat that"
The kid just ignored him and keep licking the ice cream while Roy grabbed some bags so the boy could eat it comfortably. Both walked in the sidewalk towards the man's house surrounded by a lot of people. Ed tried to walk as close as he could to Roy, but he was oblivious to the fact that the man was frowned.
Edward noticed how the man put one of his gloves on and raised a brow confused, but he almost dropped the ice cream when Roy drew him closer and turned around raising the hand with his fingers ready to snap in front of a man's face.
"Just one step and I won't hesitant"
The man seemed shocked that Roy had noticed he had been following them although they were surrounded by dozens of people. The man glanced at the blonde so the Colonel pulled him behind him.
"To the alley, now!"
The attacker just clenched his teeth, but obeyed the dark-haired man and the three hid in a alley near them with Roy still threatening him with snapping his fingers.
"Who are you? What do you want with the boy?". Of course he didn't say a word, so Roy grabbed him from the collar. "I asked you a question, if you know who I am, you better answer"
Edward saw the eyes of the man and he grabbed Roy's leg trying to hide, he didn't like how the man was looking at him at all. The attacker, however, didn't say anything, so Roy moved him and put his arms on his back.
"I'll take you to the Headquarter, they won't be nice with you as I was"
The man struggled trying to free himself, but Roy didn't let him go and signed Edward to follow him. The kid nodded and grabbed the bags trying to walk as closer as he could to the man: however, he almost jumped in fear when they heard a shot and the attacker fell in the floor death.
Roy immediately pulled the kid behind him and raised his hand looking everywhere to find the shooter, but he was already gone since he couldn't see anybody close. The kid glanced at the man and winced when he noticed the attacker had been shot in the head and there was blood everywhere…blood everywhere…like that time.
The Colonel quickly noticed how the boy had clutch to his pants, so he turned around and noticed the shocked face of the kid. He lifted him in his arms and hurried to reach a phone booth to call the Headquarter when he noticed a lot of people had seen what happened.
After he called, he put down the kid trying to find something to draw a transmutation circle to close the alley so the people would go away, but Edward clapped his hands and created a wall. The man glanced at him, but the boy had his head down and his hair covered his face even thought Roy could hear the sobs coming from him.
Mustang kneeled in front of him and felt his stomached squeezed at the scared face of the kid; he didn't have to ask what was bothering him of course. Without knowing what else to do, the man raised his arms and offered the boy to embrace him with a warm smile on his face. Edward opened his eyes in surprise and bit his lip; He really wanted someone to hug him…but his pride in the other hand…
"Remember, you're still a kid", the man said with a soft voice.
Ed flinched and lowered his head, but he approached him and let the man embrace him in his arms burying his face on Roy's shoulder. The kid smiled between sobs enjoying the moment; his mother surely had hugged him, but he didn't remember and no one else had done it after that. It felt…so good.
A half an hour later, Military personnel were in the place as Roy talked to Hughes since he was a member of the Investigation Division and was assigned to handle the case. Edward was behind him trying hard not to look at the scene even thought Roy was blocking his view.
"So are you sure he wanted Edward-Kun?", Maes said one more time glancing at the dead man.
Roy nodded, "He tried to grab him, I'm sure of that"
Hughes did a 'Mm' sound and turned to see his friend, "Any idea of where the shot came from?"
"I think the shooter was on the top of that store", the Colonel said raising his hand, "I assume someone was watching him so he wouldn't talk"
Before Hughes could say anything, Brigadier General Basque Grand arrived to the place and both man saluted him. The man threw Mustang a harsh look.
"Colonel Mustang, may I have a word with you?"
The man frowned, but nodded, "Ed, please stay with Hughes for a moment, OK?"
The kid glanced at him holding back from yelling a 'NO, DON'T GO' and approached Hughes who grabbed his hand and both watched how the Colonel followed the Brigadier General and both talked for a while. Edward looked up at Hughes and he smiled to him.
"There's nothing to be worried about", the man told him patting his head.
"…I'm a kid but I'm not stupid"
Hughes stared at him slightly surprised by the comment, but sighed, "Yeah, I think you're right"
"You really had any idea who that man is?"
"No, I don't, but we will find out"
The kid glanced at Roy again and noticed that he seemed quite mad, he would really wanted to hear the conversation, but Hughes didn't let his hand go to do it. Finally, after a few minutes, Roy came back with them and Basque Grand got in his car and left the place.
Hughes just raised a brow at the angry face of the Colonel, but tapped the kid's head when he was about to ask why he was mad. Edward looked up and understood that Maes wanted him to remain quiet for now.
"You were right". Hughes said suddenly, "According to the angle of the shot, the shooter was on the roof of that store"
"Did you discover something else?"
"No, it's too soon", Hughes said lifting his glasses, "Tomorrow I'll have more information"
Roy nodded and placed a hand on the kid's shoulder, "Then we will go home"
"…Really?", the man said disappointed, "I thought on invite you to come over home"
The dark-haired of course was expecting that, "I'm sorry Maes, we'll come by another"
Hughes opened his eyes surprised, but nodded, "See you tomorrow then"
Roy turned around and Edward followed him looking at him out of the corner of his eyes. The man was really pissed off, so he wouldn't dare to ask him anything. When they got in Roy's house, the man dropped the bags in the floor, kneeled in front of the kid and grabbed his shoulders staring at his golden eyes.
"Edward, do you want to stay with me?"
The kid blinked a few times trying to repeat the question on his head, "…What do you mean?"
"The Military knows about you of course, and tomorrow they will call you to see what they're going to do with you", the man said clenching his teeth in anger. As if the boy was an object…
"B-but you're in the Military", Ed said feeling slightly scared, "Can't I stay with you?"
"Do you really want to stay with me?", the man asked again and the kid nodded repeatedly with afraid eyes, "Then that's all you have to say tomorrow, OK?"
"What do they want to do with me?"
"Stuck you in an orphanage where they can keep an eye on you, but I convinced them to let you stay with me to train you…and keep an eye on you", the man answered trying to calm down the scared boy. "They just want to ask you tomorrow if you agree with that"
"Why did he just ask me when he was there?"
Roy stood up and grabbed the bags as he walked towards the boy's room, "Because it's the Fuhrer who is concerned about you…oddly enough"
The kid raised a brow, but didn't say anything as they entered the room and Roy began to take out the clothes they had bought. Edward grabbed the crimson coat and tried it on.
"Red really suits you, it's your color"
Edward stared at his reflection while Roy sat down in the bed trying to organize the clothes. He turned around and Roy noticed how the kid's mouth opened, but no sound came from it.
"Something's wrong?"
The boy approached Roy until the man could notice how nervous the blonde was, "You…", he began but closed his mouth again. The dark-haired man looked at him apprehensively telling him to go on, "You…Do you…really want me to stay?"
Roy was a little surprised by the question since he was sure he had been really clear with the fact that he wanted Ed to stay, but maybe the kid wanted to hear it to confirm it was OK, "Yes, I want you to stay"
Edward smiled happily and nodded, "But I don't you to bring a woman every night", he said with a smirk on his face.
The man's eyes widened. He was about to complaint, but he was sure Hughes would scold him if he didn't drop from dating that much with a boy in his house, "…That's unfair"
"I'll allow it Fridays and Saturdays only, just because you're about to become old and probably will never marry if you don't do it soon"
"Hey! This is my house! You cannot not allow anything!", the man snarled, but Edward was already trying on his new shoes. "Are you listening to me?!"
"I'll tell the maid I'm hungry", he said storming out of the bedroom leaving a shocked Roy inside.
Roy sweat dropped. Now not only he would have to stop dating that much, but he would have to take care of a kid who didn't have a little respect from him. "COME BACK HERE SHORTY!"
He heard the 'WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL' scream of the boy from the first floor and smirked amused. Well, this was going to be fun, who cared about girls?