Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. Hiromu Arakawa does…
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Chapter 2
As Edward slipped his key into its slot, Roy shrugged off his coat and folded it. He couldn't help but to glance over to the inside of his subordinate's apartment. Ed's apartment, he noticed, looked far smaller than any other ones he'd ever seen. Then again, it might be because of the fact that the space was totally cramped with stuffs. Edward hadn't lied when he'd said his apartment was very full…
Bookshelves, boxes, cupboards and other things took more spaces than anything Roy'd ever known of. He wasn't surprised at the very least when some strings of curses issued from inside. Chuckling, he called, "need any help, Ed?"
"Stop being an asshole and help me out, bastard!" Ed's high-pitched shriek was his reply.
Roy shook his head and laughed lightly. Edward might be 17 years old, but sometimes he still acted like the boy he used to be… hanging his coat on the pole provided, he walked carefully to the source of the voice. He paused in front of what he assumed as the older Elric's room, and had to prevent himself from laughing.
There, in the middle of the room, with boxes all over him, Edward was stuck between them and the floor. His flesh hand was trapped under one white box, thus making him incapable of alchemy. Still, Roy was Roy, and he couldn't help himself anymore. He bent down and patted the box above Ed's chest, "thought you said you could handle it?"
Edward glared venomously at his superior and almost shouted again when he felt the weight on his chest moved. From behind the box, even though he couldn't see it, he knew that Mustang was smirking at him – and probably would make fun of it later.
Why do I have to be stuck with him, of all people? Edward thought heatedly as he picked up the boxes one by one. Might as well be stuck with chimeras in a cave… "Get the one near the fridge, Mustang, and then you can go back to your car first. I still have several more things to pack up."
Quirking an eyebrow, Roy asked, "you sure there's nothing else I should help you with? Because with your size and all-" He was cut off by Edward's yell.
"JUST GET THE HELL BACK TO YOUR DAMN CAR, BASTARD!" With that, Roy left the fuming blond behind and headed back to his car, laughing playfully all the way.
The older Elric was still fuming as he saw the Brigadier-General's back disappeared at the corner. That bastard… bad enough he was stuck with him; had to stay under the same roof; and now he was going to suffer from being called short all the time!
Several more minutes were needed before Ed was fully able to regain his composure. His left hand was still sore from being trapped; but this time it was accompanied by electric-like stinging pain. Quirking an eyebrow, he realized it a bit too late that he couldn't get far from Mustang - and so he dashed out with all his might before the black-haired man stepped into the elevator.
"MUSTAAAAANG!" He screamed, not caring whether his neighbors would wake up or not.
Roy, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the fact that he wasn't supposed to be far from the older Elric. He could vaguely hear someone calling his name, but decided to shrug it off. He'd never come to this place before, so why would someone call him at a time like this?
Continuing to walk at a leisury pace, the calls were no longer heard. Roy smiled to himself; that was probably some imagination...
Edward growled quietly with suppressed annoyance. Damn that Mustang; was he ignoring him or really deaf? He'd shouted loud enough that the whole floor could probably hear him, yet he still hadn't got any reply or response whatsoever!
Then he took a sharp turn, his boots skidding on the floor to prevent him from falling. There, just on the end of corridor, the blue uniform disappeared on another corner. Finally! "Mustang!" Ed yelled again, picking up his pace.
This time, Roy could hear his blonde subordinate clearly. He stopped and turned around, but with the boxes covering his sight, he didn't notice the young alchemist ramming towards him.
The force of Ed's speed sent them both tumbling to the ground, the boxes thrown off of Roy's hand. A muffled "Eeep!" came from Ed, and Roy himself had the air knocked out of his lungs. "Oof!"
Ed, unfortunately, dived headlong right onto the Brigadier-General's torso, thus hurling them both a bit further. After they stopped, however; both alchemists were too stunned to move at all. Roy, being the one sandwiched between the weight above him and the floor, took most of the impact, leaving the older Elric with a bit of dizzy feeling.
For a moment neither moved, and Edward blinked once before jolting upright after he realized that Mustang was crushed under him. He stared down, and in embarassment, coughed lightly. "Uh, sorry 'bout that, Mustang." He offered a hand.
Roy groaned; the pain on the back of his head pounding against his skull. If he hadn't got a bump then he'd say he was rather lucky, considering how hard he had hit the concrete floor. His vision blurred for a bit before he recognized Ed's offering hand, and he took it without hesitation. But since his balance hadn't returned fully to him, Roy swayed for a bit and slumped against the wall.
Alarmed, the older Elric grabbed his superior by his back and helped him to stand back on his feet. "Oi, Mustang, you okay?" He asked anxiously. Sure, he hated the man with passion and wanted to punch the day out of him most of the times, but he didn't want to hurt him unintentionally... "Sorry, I, uh, didn't mean to crash into you."
Waving Ed's apology, Roy covered his eyes with his left hand. "It's fine, I didn't see you running towards me anyway." After he was sure that his mind wasn't swimming around again, the dark-haired man bent down to grab the box again. "Come on, let's go back to your room. I kind of forgot that I couldn't go out of the range." Ushering the half-concerned blond, he continued, "let's go, Ed. The sooner you get your things the sooner we can get some sleep."
"...You sure you're okay?" The young alchemist asked again, just to be sure.
At this, Mustang laughed lightly. "Ed, it'd take more than that to knock me out!" At the uncertain look that was directed at himself, he resumed again with a sigh, "I'm not that weak, okay? Now let's go."
Eventually enough, the blond nodded and began to walk back towards his room. The Brigadier-General followed behind him, this time with more care. Falling once was enough for the day, Roy reminded himself.
Soon enough found Edward with two boxes and a huge backpack; Roy with three boxes and a small bag. The former had a thoughtful look plastered on his face, while the latter was struggling with the things he had to carry.
Once, the older alchemist glanced over to his superior, and couldn't help but to snicker.
Roy noticed this, and growled, "what?"
Edward laughed, and raised his eyebrow playfully. "Thought you said you could handle it, bastard?"
Biting back a retort, Roy only grunted to himself and resumed to walk, ignoring the mocking look from his subordinate. He should've just let Ed bring the boxes, while he'd bring the bags...
The pair arrived at the car ten minutes later and Roy unlocked the key.
Edward jerked one of the doors open, dumped all the boxes and bags on the backseat and then slammed it close again.
Roy watched, silently wondering how long the military car would stay intact with treatment like that.
He was dragged back into reality, however, when the younger alchemist called - or rather, yelled. "Oi, bastard! Why're you only standing over there?"
Roy rolled his eyes in exasperation. My house is going to be a wrecked ship, he thought bemusedly. As he entered the car and heard a grumbling sound, he added one more, I hope my fridge and food cabinet would survive this...
The ride to Roy's house was silent, both men deep in their own thoughts.
Edward, thinking back over the day's previous events, tried to remember the array that had caused all of this. How stupid of him not to study it before handing it over... now he had to suffer the consequences - with Mustang, of all people! Why couldn't he be stuck with, say, Al? The thought itself made his heart sank even more. What if he couldn't separate himself from Mustang when his contract ended? Sure, it was not until few more months, but still...
Roy noticed his subordinate brooding while looking at the street, and sighed tiredly. This morning he had hoped to go to a bar and grab a drink; to forget his problems just for a moment, with all the top brass was pressing him... well to say that he wasn't used to it would be lying, but... he felt that now the pressure seemed a lot more... He threw a sidelong glance at the older Elric.
He knew that the blond's contract with the military would end few months later, and so with that he'd tried giving the less dangerous mission to him. But then the order had come about a week ago, and Roy had no choice but to assign Fullmetal to it. From the first time he'd laid a hand on the papers, he'd got a bad feeling about it all, and this morning his feeling hit him right on the face.
Damn that Brandt for giving him such a mission to hand over.
When the car finally pulled into a stop in front of his house, Roy couldn't help but to smirk at Edward's initial reaction.
Kicking the door open, Ed slammed it close with his automail foot. Roy flinched visibly.
Could the doors and furnitures in his house survive at all...?
"Hell, Mustang!" The blond's voice could be heard even from the outside, "that's no house, it's a fucking mansion!"
Getting out of the car, Roy leaned against it, and chuckled, "well, whoever said that my house's an ordinary house?" He answered amusedly.
Edward only did so much as to throw an annoyed glare at his superior before jerking the car's door open - again - and grabbed some of his belongings out. Walking over towards the front of the door, he laid them on the porch and shouted, "come on, Mustang! Open the door already; I wanna get to the books and the damned array!"
"Why don't you get them yourself? I've helped you back at your apartment, right?" The Brigadier-General replied airily, smirking when the blond stomped his way to the car. "Careful, Ed. This is military's car, not mine."
Glowering at the dark-haired man, Edward still slammed the door. "To hell with it, Mustang. Whether this is your car or not, I don't give a damn. I'm not even supposed to be here right this moment!" He retorted sharply.
Again, Roy sighed.
To separate them was going to be one hell of a job, and that was probably the understatement of the year. He and Ed didn't really get along well, despite the fact that the blond had softened… a bit… from the first time he'd met him. His short temper would never be gone anyway…
Peeking into the car, he noticed that Ed had brought all of his belongings and left nothing inside the vehicle. Digging his fingers into his pocket, Roy grabbed his keys and began to head towards the door. Edward stood on the grass, but he couldn't find it in himself to really care. He had to help the blond unpack his things, not to mention finishing his works for the day… maybe he'd have a glass or two later…
Sliding the key into its slot, Roy pushed the door open and flicked one of the switches. The lamps on the first hallway flickered into life, dimly lighting the corridor. The walls were, Ed noticed, rather plain, except for some pictures here and there. Some of them were just simple paintings of the mountains and grasslands; but who was he to protest the man's taste?
But the main room was what made the older Elric's breath hitch in his throat. The carvings on the walls around him, painted with a pale-cream color, giving them a touch of softness. On the end of the hall; a sliding window with a direct view to the man's backyard – which was just as big, if not bigger.
Several more paintings decorated the main hall, and with medium-sized dragon statue that was placed above a small cabinet - that was what captured the blond's attention.
Edward, being the curious man as he was, scooted closer to the statue to observe it.
Roy stayed still behind, amused at his subordinate's reaction to the dragon.
Raising a flesh hand carefully, as not to damage the property, Edward touched it, and wasn't really surprised when he could feel the precisely-sculpted scales along the dragon's twisting body. Blazing red wings half-unfurled, giving the statue a larger impression. Two yellow stones, which he automatically assumed as amber, were made as its eyes.
Where had Mustang got such thing...?
"In case you're wondering, Fullmetal, that dragon was given as a gift from a Xingian for my uncle who used to live here." Roy said, as if reading his thoughts. "This house is originally his, but then he passed it over to me, along with most of the furnitures." Shrugging off his blue military vest, he walked over to the stairs and gestured for the blond to follow. "Come, Ed, I'll show you your room."
Edward spared one last glance to the statue before following the dark-haired man upstairs. "So... you get all these things for free?" He asked disbelievingly.
"...More or less," the man answered off-handedly with a shrug. "The books in the library are all mine, though."
"You're a lucky bastard." Ed said, but then paused, "wait, what? You have a library?" Quickening his pace so that he was next to Roy, and he pointed a finger to the man. "For sure?"
"Well, yeah." Roy answered with a slight roll of his eyes. It should've offended him, but he couldn't find it in himself to feel like that at the very least… Throwing a quick glance at his subordinate, he then added, "and yes, you can go in there later. I don't mind, as long as you keep them in good condition."
"Will do." The older Elric immediately answered.
Soon enough they arrived on the upper floor, and the blond immediately observed his surroundings again. It wasn't much different than the floor below, except that this level had more of a… private aura. He supposed… it was where Mustang's rooms were located, after all. Following his superior, he glanced around the corridor, noticing several more paintings, before finally stopping in front of a door.
Grabbing the handle, Roy pushed it down and opened the door, ushering Edward to go inside. He flicked the switch on and waited for the room to be bright enough, before saying, "this is going to be your room, Fullmetal. You can put all of your belongings here, or inside the wardrobe, I don't mind. As long as you're comfortable with it, then it's fine by me. Though…" He paused for a second, "do try to keep it neat, Fullmetal." He finished with a quirk of an eyebrow.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. As long as I can find my own things; that's what you wanted to say, right?" Waving his automail, Ed had already began to head back towards the door to retrieve his boxes, before he paused in his tracks. "Oh yeah, how about the bathroom?"
"Ah-" Gesturing with his right hand, the dark-haired man said, "it's right across this room. Towels, soaps – you do bring them, don't you, Fullmetal?"
The older Elric gave a deadpan look at the owner of the house. "Well heck yeah, Mustang. Bad enough I have to stay under the same roof as you; and then I have to borrow your toiletries?" Shrugging, he resumed, "that'd probably end up as a nightmare for me." And with that, he got out of the room.
Well, at least I've offered, Roy thought dismissively, won't hurt whether he'd said yes or no anyway.
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