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After some steak, salad and baked potatoes, Al and Mason began to clear the table, Sig and Izumi disappeared upstairs momentarily, Roy looked over his reports with Kain and Riza and Jean carried a contented little alchemist over to the couch.
"Are we gonna watch Alien?" Ed asked him sleepily.
"If you're up for it," the man grinned. Ed nodded and sat up to make sure Jean didn't try to put him to bed, trying to look awake and alert.
--
When Jean started the film, Kain crept over away from boring military things to sit by Alphonse on the floor. Izumi came down during the eerie opening scenes and placed Ed on the floor with his back up against the couch so she and Sig could be comfortable.
Jean's reason for not objecting was that Ed was already excited and he didn't want to be sitting next to the blond during any parts that might make him flail with his metal arm.
A few minutes later, Riza sat down in a chair pulled up next to the couch and Roy popped some popcorn. Kain coughed up a bag of gummy worms, Roy turned off the lights, and all settled in to enjoy the movie.
--
"AAAH!" Ed slammed backward into the couch in surprise, while is brother and Kain did just the opposite. Like the male version of fangirls, after every scary or gory moment in the movie, they shrieked and giggled to one another, exclaiming over the scenes in a language all their own.
"Did you see that!" Al squealed.
"I was so scared! The way it jumped on him was AWESOME!"
"Oh my God! That was so gross!"
"I know! Awesome!"
By the time their voices had hit preteen-girl pitch, Jean had eaten almost half a bag of gummy worms. Ed had eaten a quarter of a bag and was still going strong as Mason fought to get a sparse few for himself. Fuery was too distracted by the 'total awesomeness' of the movie. As was Alphonse, although he wouldn't have been able to eat them anyway.
"OHHHHH!!!!! DID YOU SEE THAT?" Al screamed as Ed grabbed Jean's leg and hung on for dear life. Roy laughed until he saw how green in the face the blond lieutenant was. And how close to empty the gummy bag.
"Uh, Ed, maybe you should let go of Jean's leg. In case he has to... go to the bathroom," Roy suggested.
As Fuery and Alphonse began whispering eagerly to each other, Ed gave Roy a perturbed "don't-even-suggest-it" glare.
Suddenly, Jean jumped up and in the exact same moment in time, the alien in the movie screamed and devoured yet another unfortunate.
Jean tripped on Ed, Al and Fuery screamed for all they were worth and Hawekeye, acting on the kind of reflexes that only years of dedicated service could manifest, pulled her gun and shot the screen.
It wasn't really her fault. All the horrible missions she'd been on where the speed and accuracy of her shooting was the only thing keeping her time alive had planted in her an almost-natural instinct to take out any dangers that suddenly popped out of nowhere. So really then, it wasn't her fault that the explosion of the television caused the electricity in the houe to short-circuit, leaving everyone in total darkness.
Fuery took a deep breath and he and the youngest Elric screamed for ALL they were worth, thrilled by the fear of being in total darkness. Roy could hear Jean scrambling away in the direction of the bathroom and Ed yelping softly as he was accidentally kicked and abruptly abandoned.
"Roy?" He could barely be heard over Al and Fuery's neverending screams. Roy came over to make sure Jean hadn't hurt the boy when Izumi, ever the comedian, grabbed Ed's neck and yelled, "AAAUGH!!"
Ed screamed and flailed out, nailing Roy right in the gut.
"Roy?" he asked, not being able to see.
"Ouugg... Ed..." Roy moaned.
"ROY?"
"I'm... guhh, going to turn the lights on. Ugg..."
The words didn't register in Ed's brain, maybe because he couldn't hear over the screams. Which just so happened to be loud enough to evoke concern in one of Roy's more... interesting neighbors.
As Ed cried for Roy and Izumi yelled at the screaming hooligans nearby, the door flew open.
A monstrous figure filled the entire doorway as lightning outlined his silhouette. Thunder crashed with a deafening volume and a voice boomed: "Is something the matter?"
Ed took one breath-
And screamed louder than the other two put together. Jean came dashing down the stairs, tripping on one and finding himself on his back staring up at a monster. When he started screaming, both Riza and Mason lost it and began screaming in terror as well, increasing their volume when the Frankenstein look-alike in the doorway stepped into the house, again inquiring in his huge, demonic voice what was wrong.
When the lights came on, everyone stopped screaming all at once and Alex Louis Armstrong, looking extremely worried, repeated his question while Jean stood up and sheepishly explained the combination of horror movies and guns that had induced the screams, Ed looked around and realized Roy was gone.
"Roy?" he called pitifully, well and truly fearing, for just a moment, that Roy had been devoured by an extraterrestrial that had snuck into the house while the lights were out.
Roy, not to be out-comedianed by Izumi, came up from the basement carrying a chainsaw and an ugly gorilla mask with flames on the cheeks and teeth. He opened the trap door in the closet, then jumped out of the closet, revving his rarely used chainsaw.
"Roy!-!!!!" Ed guessed that it was Roy, then decided it wasn't and clapped his hands in preparation to attack the creature. Roy suddenly realized he'd gone too far and tried to take the mask off before Ed killed him.
Sig came to the rescue, recognizing Roy and picking Ed up by the armpits and holding him up so he could see that it really was Roy. The Flame set down the chainsaw and mask and Ed sniffed angrily.
"I'm sorry, Ed-"
"You're going to regret that. Mark my words," Ed cut him off. Roy swiftly took him from Sig and growled at Ed.
"No more plumbing screw-ups or anything else, you hear me?" Roy made a conscious effort to sound vicious in the hopes of scaring Ed off the idea of childish revenge. It was a feat he accomplished too well, he realized as Ed trembled and looked up at him apprehensively.
"Is that clear?" he asked Ed. Ed's eyebrows twitched up helplessly and he nodded seriously. "Good." Roy hefted him up so he could put his arms over Roy's shoulders and press his face next to Roy's neck. "Major Armstrong?" Roy noticed the giant near the open door.
"I heard the screams and came to investigate the matter."
"I explained it to him, Boss," Havoc told Roy.
"Ah, thank you, Lieutenant. I'm sorry about the ruckus," he added to the Major.
"Is Major Elric alright?" the man asked.
"Yeah, he just needs a minute to calm do- Ed!"
Ed wriggled and dropped to the floor, turning his nose up at Roy in favor of hopping on one foot up the stairs. Roy rolled his eyes, then remembered Alex was still there.
"He'll be fine," he assured hte man.
"Well, then. Good night to all of you!"
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"Edward! Get out of that bathroom! I need to brush my teeth, too!" Roy yelled. Izumi had already given up and gone to the kitchen sink downstairs, refraining from alchemy in Roy's home because she really was a polite guest at heart. Al on the other hand, had been yelling along with Roy for Ed to get out of the bathroom because other people needed to use it but resorted to alchemy when Ed continued to give them a two word, "Hang on," in a warped voice that was supposed to sound like he had a toothbrush in his mouth. When Al finally transmuted the door, Ed cussed him out soundly, then locked himself in his room.
It was getting late when Roy got fed up with Ed's refusing to speak to him and burned a hole in Ed's door so he could reach through and undo the lock. Ed flopped onto his side on the bed and pretended to be asleep.
"Go away," he said as Roy approached.
"Ohh, no. There will be no mercy," Roy replied. Ed turned over, more than a little worried about what that could mean. Roy jumped on him, grabbing his wrists and turning Ed onto his side so he was facing away from Roy. Ed cried in distress and Roy laid down and pulled Ed back against his body, shushing him until Ed stopped whimpering.
"I'm not going to hurt you, settle down, I'm right here."
Ed had a momentary flashback of his earlier conversation with Sig and when Roy relaxed his grip, he turned over to face him.
"Roy?"
"What is it?"
"What... bad things happen? When kids stay with men who are older than they are?" Ed's own confusion about what he was asking made his words hard for Roy to comprehend and the man had to take some time to think about it.
"Well.. Hey, wait. What are you saying?" Roy propped himself up on his elbow so he could look down at Ed. "Ed, I would never, never hurt you," he said quickly, shaking his head.
"Roy?" Ed's word was not a prelude to a question, it was a question. An incomplete, but fully understood 'what do you mean.'
"Sometimes... sometimes older men will take advantage of a young person," Roy felt awkward. He didn't want to be saying this. He didn't want to give Ed any reason to be suspicious of his actions and yet part of him feared it was too late. Someone had obviously planted the idea in his mind and the only way to reassure him would be to explain.
"They...hurt them and they make them think it's their fault or that they should be ashamed so they don't tell anyone that they're being hurt."
"They... hit them?" Ed wouldn't look at Roy.
"Sometimes."
Ed looked up, thoroughly confused, but also afraid to ask. And yet he couldn't come up with the answers on his own. He just didn't understand.
"Ed, you have no reason to be afraid of me," Roy said in a firm tone, reassuring the boy.
Ed jerked his head up and Roy saw his mistake. And what a bad one at that. He could see Ed's reaction was to be afraid because there might be some reason he should fear Roy.
"Ed, I-... Edward. Please, I don't want to say. There are some things that should just never happen," Roy pleaded. He was pleading with Ed to be content in his ignorance, but it just wasn't in the FullMetal Alchemist's nature. Softly, he voiced his mild rebuke.
"If you won't tell me, I'll just ask someone else."
Roy was divided on this possiblity. On the one hand, it seemed like a bad idea to let Ed ask anyone else about this, but if he were to ask someone... less personally involved, less sensitive to Ed's reaction...
"Like who?"
"Jean. Or Breda or Hughes or Mason or someone," Ed told Roy matter-of-factly. Roy rubbed Ed's back without thinking about it and considered Ed's chosen. He didn't think Maes would tell Ed any more than he would. He didn't want Mason getting worried and passing the feeling on to his bosses, so that left Jean or Breda... Considering Breda's attitude to ward this kind of thing, he thought the man might get angry wtih Ed for asking, so that left Jean. Well, that might work...
"Why don't you ask Jean before he leaves? He's getting a ride with Riza but she's still talking with Mason." Roy personally thought that was very strange. Riza didn't usually lose track of time when enjoying a conversation.
Ed looked up at Roy. "Really?"
"Mm-hm. Better him than me," Roy tried to lighten the mood. Ed squeezed Roy around the waist and then pattered out of the room. A minute later, Roy could hear the sounds of Ed pulling Jean into the bathroom where they could talk without being overheard. He felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach, wondering what the outcome of diverting the question to Jean would be.
--
"What is it, Ed? Why did we have to be alone?"
"I-... I want to ask you a question," Ed said.
"Fire away," Jean suggested.
"It's... Roy didn't want to tell me. He said I should ask you instead."
Jean just raised an eyebrow, already dreading the inquiry.
"Jean, what... What do people do to boys who are younger than they are and stay in their house?"
"People?"
"... Men."
"You mean pedophiles?" Jean asked. Ed looked confused.
"Ohh..." Jean said, catching on, "Roy didn't want to answer that, did he?"
Ed shook his head.
"Whew... OK, Ed. You know how babies are made, right?"
Ed furrowed his brow, wondering what that had to do with anything, but nodded.
"OK... do you know what the greek word "philiac" means?"
Ed thought hard. When he didn't answer, Jean told him.
"It means lover, OK?"
"Like- like a girlfriend?"
"Exactly. It's not affection or something you'd feel for a family member or a friend. It's something you could only feel for a, a lover. I mean... well, a 'philiac' isn't a feeling. It means lover."
Ed nodded to tell Jean he was repeataing himself.
"So a 'pedophile' is a, uh, a 'child-lover'."
Ed frowned and thought for a long moment, then glanced up at Jean suspiciously. The man gave a tiny nod. He knew the exact moment Ed completely figured it out because the boy went pale, his mouth slack and his eyes started to grow wider. Jean opened his mouth to say something sort of comforting, but before he could speak, Ed covered his mouth with his hand and ran from the bathroom. Jean heard him run down the stairs and then stepped out of the bathroom just as Roy stepped from Ed's room.
"Ahem..." Jean coughed. Roy raised his eyebrows in worried question and Jean nodded, saying, "It's been answered."
"It didn't sound like he took it very well." Roy sounded worried.
"Well... he was certainly shocked."
Roy went downstairs, hoping Ed wasn't freaking Izumi out in any way in his shock. But, as Riza told him, Ed had left the house.
Roy grabbed his coat and ran out into the night, refusing the ride Hawekeye offered.
"Ed!" Roy yelled, looking both ways down the street. He saw a small figure take a right turn at the south end and ran for all he was worth after it. Ed was running hard and Roy had no time to think about where they were going as he chased the blond, hoping desperately that Ed wasn't running because he was scared of him.
Ed turned into an alleyway and jumped a fence. Roy had to try three times before he successfully climbed over it and by that time, Ed was gone. Roy pulled his gloves from his pocket and pulled a flame up for light, holding it near his hand. Three big warehouses were lined up parallel to each other, facing him and he hurried toward the first one to his left.
Stepping in through the monstrous doorway, he sent his flames dancing around the interior and called for Ed again. The light bounced off a stack of crates, a pair of black shiny boots crouched next to them. Roy came over and stood in front of Ed. The blond had his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees. He looked guilty at being found and refused to look up at Roy.
Roy sat down on the crate next to Ed and let the flames die, leaving them in total darkness.
"You know I hate places like these, Ed."
"Does that really happen?"
Roy knew what Ed was talking about. He didn't have to think to answer.
"Yes, it does."
"A lot?"
"I wouldn't say it happens a lot, no, but I don't really know. I've never wanted to know."
"Why did you make Havoc tell me?"
"Because-. Because I was scared. That you would be afraid of me. I think you might be anyway though."
"Not... not really," Ed lied badly.
"If you need some time away from me, you should take it. I don't want you to stay where you're uncomfortable."
"Where should I go?"
"Wherever you want to."
Ed was silent for a time and Roy let him be, as nervous as he felt in the old warehouse. He let memories of his younger brother penetrate his mind as he waited for Ed to speak again. He was going to give the boy as much time as he needed. For whatever he needed to do.
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OK, there. So that's why the rating went up. gasp They talked about pedophiles!!!
Ehehe, R&R pretty please!