Hello.
Why am I posting at 1:30 in the morning?
Because I took a big nap today and now my sleep schedule's more messed than ever.
That is why.
There is nothing good in this chapter. It is boring and sad. Feel free to skip it.
Actually, feel free to skip this whole stupid thing and go read something actually worth reading.
Like Fluffykitty's Avoidance.
Go read that instead.
Edward arrived in Vanes Balt the night before.
He checked into the town's only hostel, dropped off his things in his room, left his room, ate a full meal, including the complementary bread and cream-soaked cake for dessert; returned to his room, and fell asleep after his full belly calmed his body and combing through books he'd taken from East City's library he thought might help with his assignment soothed his mind.
He woke up at seven, languished in the warmth of the bed for twenty minutes, forced himself to get up and get ready, which took another twenty minutes; left at twenty before eight, pausing to grab a muffin and some coffee from the kitchen on his way out; and arrived at the city hall at two minutes to eight, the sweet muffin having moved from his hand to his stomach and half of the coffee with it.
He walked into the building and immediately recognized his place in a conference room off to the side of the main room.
The table was covered in coins, sorted by minted, counterfeit, and the ones that's origins had not yet been determined. Edward took a drink of his coffee before putting the cup on the table beside the pile of questionable coins and got to work. The military man working with the counterfeit coins looked up, either just noticing that Ed had arrived or only now acknowledging his presence.
"Who're you?"
Edward set aside one of the coins and clapped his hands lazily, the ring of energy the antithesis of his demeanor.
"The alchemist you sent for."
He touched the separated coin with his fingers. The coin shuddered, then went still again. Ed huffed in satisfaction and tossed the coin towards the man, who recoiled as if he had thrown a rock instead a small piece of metal.
"What the - what are you doing?!"
"That one's fake."
He had already moved on to the next one.
The man caught the coin, yelped, and dropped it, where it bounced off the table and onto the floor.
"It's hot!"
"The transmutation had to go somewhere. Hey, this one's real!"
The man glanced at the coin, which originally bore the curling dragon of Amestris and now sported the crude image of a face sticking its tongue out. If the man had been familiar with Edward, he would have recognized it as the boy's self-portrait. As it was, he squawked in indignation and pointed at the coin like it had taken on the appearance of something vulgar.
"You - you've defaced minted currency! That is a crime punishable by -"
Ed rolled his eyes, clapped his hands again, touched the coin again, which flashed as it returned to its former state, and tossed the coin into the opposite pile.
"It's fine. I have authorization from Colonel Mustang and Colonel Holland. Besides, I put it back just the way it was."
It was only in glancing in that direction as he deposited the coin that Ed noticed the other man.
The man was wearing the same blue uniform as the other, but this one looked rumpled, like he had spent the previous night at a festival that had been liberal with ale. He was looking out the window, his eyes listless and droopy while his mouth was slightly parted.
He was either witnessing something incredible or he had a bad head cold and to keep his mouth open to breathe.
Edward turned to the much healthier looking man on his other side and pointed with this thumb to the man at the window.
"Is that guy okay?"
The man looked at his partner, then at Ed with a raised brow, as if he was wondering what Ed found so significant about a corpse cooling in the corner of the room.
"He's in charge of sorting out the real ones."
Edward glanced at the man and back again.
"But he's not."
The man added a tilt to his head along with his raised brow.
"And? What of it?"
Edward lowered his pointing fist, glanced again, turned back again.
"Why isn't he doing his job?"
Something strange crossed the man's face and he crossed his arms.
"Why don't you ask him?'
Edward rolled his eyes again made his way over to the window.
"Hey, you! You all right?"
The man looked away from the window slowly, stared into the empty space above Edward, then looked down.
"Whuh?"
Ed resisted the urge to grimace.
"You're supposed to be sorting the coins - the real ones, made out of electrum. Why aren't you?"
The man's mouth closed and, as with his partner, his face darkened and lightened so quickly that Edward couldn't be sure he hadn't imagined it.
"You tellin' me what to do?"
Edward paused, confused, then shook off his confusion.
"No, I'm just asking. Why aren't you workin'?"
The man's droopy eyes lifted slightly.
"Don't want to."
Edward had to pause and shake off confusion again.
"You don't - that's not a reason!"
"What d'you know, kid?"
"I now Colonel Holland won't be happy when he hears about this."
The man's stupor morphed into a smirk that sent shivers run down Edward's spine.
"Oh, yeah?"
Edward crossed his arms, trying to look intimidating and stop any further shivers.
"Uh-huh."
"Well, he won't be happy when he hears 'bout how you were yappin' instead a workin'."
Edward was prepared for the confusion this time.
"Right. So let's get to work."
The man nodded patronizingly and turned back to the window.
"'Kay. You do that."
Edward forced himself to stay calm.
"You and me. And him," Ed jerked his head at the man at the table. "All of us. Together."
The man's lips pursed but he didn't look away from the window.
"I ain't seein' any work gettin' done."
Ed huffed, realizing what was going on, and turned back to the table, trying to make his stomps as loud and angry as possible.
"I hope you can find a way to make money out of starin' at nothin' 'cause this is probably gonna be you're last day."
For some reason, both the men thought that this idea was absolutely hilarious because they started laughing.
Edward noticed that, while they were both laughing at him, they weren't laughing in unison.
XXX
Colonel Holland was not present on Edward's first day.
Ed didn't think anything of it, assuming that the man had a great deal of classified work to do, and resigned to being patient with his complaint.
He was not present on the second day.
On the third day, right around the time Edward planned on taking his lunch, a small but broad man wearing the blue of the brass and the three stars of a colonel ambled into the conference room.
Ed had finished sorting through the undetermined coins and had moved on to trying to determine the makings of the counterfeit ones, testing different transmutations for different metals. So far, the yellow paint the coins were coated in to make them look like the gold and silver alloy of minted currency had reacted to the rune for zinc - unsurprising, since zinc was common in most coins, but Edward had to admit that it was still clever on the forgers' part.
"Hey there, boy. What are you doing here?"
Edward jumped, having been deep in concentration as he had tested the coin in his fingers for traces of chromium. The coin splintered as the trace bits of the element were pulled out of the whole. Far from being pleased at being interrupted, Ed angrily gestured at the crumbs that had been a fake coin moments ago.
"I'm obviously inventing the next steam engine… sir," he added when he spotted the man's stars.
The man's head tilted, his eyes flicking uncertainly between the bits of metal and Edward's annoyed expression. Ed rolled his eyes.
"I'm the alchemist you sent for."
The man's brows pinched together and his eyes rounded.
"You're Fullmetal?!"
Edward rolled his eyes again.
"Yes. Did you forget that the bit about me being the youngest State Alchemist in history? Or did Mustang leave that part out?"
Roy sometimes did that to mess with both Edward and whoever he was sent to meet with. Ed would never admit it, but he usually found the reactions of shock and disbelief just as entertaining as the colonel did.
Usually.
Today, Edward was a bit too cranky from having to do the work of three people for the past two and a half days to find Holland's obliviousness amusing.
"I'm Colonel Holland," the man said, answering the question Edward hadn't had, and held out his hand for Ed to shake.
Ed obliged him.
Holland took hold of Ed's hand, shook, stopped, squeezed, and when Ed didn't react, squeezed harder.
"Yeah, I thought if Mustang left out my age, he would leave out my automail."
Holland let go of Ed's hand as if the prosthetic had burned him - which was a possibility, what with the energy from the failed transmutations his fingers must have absorbed by then.
Speaking of which…
Edward scooped up the remains of the coin he had been working with.
"I've been able to figure out which ones are fake and which ones are real based on whether or not they react to the transmutation for electrum, but without knowing what the counterfeit ones are made of, I can't transmute them. My plan is to go down the list of common metals until I find one that works. If we can figure out what the coins are made of, we might get an idea of where and how they were made, which should lead us to whom."
Edward used the term "we" lightly as he cast a less than appreciative glance at the man at the window and the man who had at first been working at the table - or more accurately, pushing indiscriminate coins indiscriminately in an attempt to look like he was working - and was now sitting in a chair in the corner, his arm on the armrest and his chin on his hand. Edward guessed he was meaning to look contemplative, but Ed had heard him snoring earlier.
Holland blinked at the coin dust on the table and on Edward's gloved fingers.
"But this one did something. Doesn't that mean that's it?"
Ed shook his head, dusting the bits of metal off his glove with his other hand.
"I pulled out the trace bits of chromium that was in the coin. There wasn't nearly enough in it for that to be the main ingredient. There's trace amounts of all sorts of elements in everything. I could probably get some chromium out of you. Maybe some gold, too. But that's just by chance. Same with this."
Holland nodded as if he understood, though Ed wasn't sure that he did.
"What metals have you tested so far?"
"I tried iron and oxygen first, in case it was steel. Then I tried nickel and copper and tin and aluminum… I remember lead and manganese… then I looked at some less common metals, like cadmium and I just tried chromium."
Holland nodded some more.
"And nothing?"
Ed shrugged, gesturing at the coins for evidence.
"Nothing yet."
Holland nodded a third time and straightened. Edward found himself feeling pleased that the colonel was only a little bit taller than him.
"Well, I'll let you get back to work. Let me know if you find anything."
Holland turned to leave. Edward resisted the urge to protest, to point out that the colonel had only just arrived and hadn't actually done anything, but he had more pressing things to discuss.
"Hey - I mean, excuse me, sir."
Holland stopped and turned back, looking at Edward with a brow that was supposed to look like it was raised in curiosity but actually looked fairly annoyed.
"Can I talk to you for a minute? In private."
The colonel pursed his lips, no longer bothering to disguise his annoyance, but nodded, gesturing for Ed to follow him.
XXX
"What's up with those guys? The two guys who were here before me?"
Holland reached into his pocket, pulled out a watch and opened it.
"Second lieutenants Hanes and Schaffer? What about them?"
"What exactly are they doing here?"
Holland looked up from his watch with an irritated scowl.
"What do you mean? They're working on this counterfeit case, same as you."
"But they're not!" Edward had been bottling up his frustration and overwhelmingness for two and a half days. Finally having a chance to release it, he held nothing back. "One is just staring at the window and the other one is sleeping!"
Holland schooled his scowl.
"That is highly inappropriate and unprofessional." He said this as if he hadn't just seen this behavior for himself.
Edward suddenly felt awkward and small, though he had no idea.
"Um… yeah, it is, so… you do something about that. Sir."
Holland gave a single, stiff nod. Ed wondered why that didn't reassure him.
"I will have words with each of them. Now, I have business to attend to, so if you'll excuse me."
He turned away again, scuttling off like he was worried Edward might try to catch up to him.
As Ed tried to enjoy his sandwich, he couldn't help but think of a prawn slithering beneath a rock to hide from any reaching hands.
XXX
On the fourth day, Edward walked into the conference room, coffee in hand and muffin in his mouth, to find Colonel Holland waiting for him. The second lieutenants were in the exact same places they'd been the day before: one in the corner next to the window, the outer in the cushy armchair. Holland was leaning over the desk with his arms so that he formed a triangle above the myriad of coins and papers.
"Fullmetal. Good morning."
Edward swallowed the muffin in his mouth. It felt like it stuck halfway down.
"Uh… Hey, Colonel M-Holland."
Edward hoped that they hadn't noticed his brief slip of the tongue. Judging by Window Guy's grin and Chair Guy's bark of laughter, they had. Holland smiled in what Ed supposed was meant to be friendly. Instead the colonel looked like he was grimacing in intense pain.
"I need a word with you. Come with me."
Ed's stomach turned over inside him.
XXX
"Second Lieutenant Hanes has informed me of your… tendency for tardiness."
Ed had been in mid-sip of his coffee. The accusation had him taking his cup from his lips without taking a drink.
"I… what?"
"The men of this unit are expected to arrive timely and consistently."
Edward wondered if he was having an aneurysm. He didn't know what that was, but Mustang seemed to have a lot of them, if his comments of frustration were to be trusted.
"I… I don't understand. I was supposed to arrive at eight and… and it's eight now and I'm here."
Holland stared down his nose at Ed, the look in his eyes sympathetic and gentle, like Holland thought Edward was ten years younger than he was.
"You are to report in at eight. Therefore, you are expected to be here at five minutes before."
Now Ed was sure he was having an aneurysm.
"What? Then why not tell me to -"
"Second Lieutenant Schaffer informed me of your destruction of official currency."
Edward had thrown his head back and taken a quick gulp of his coffee, hoping the bitterness of the juice and the sweetness of the sugar would calm his nerves. When Colonel Holland said his next words, Ed was thrown into a coughing fit.
"Wh… what?!"
Holland's expression was one of disgust. Edward couldn't tell if it was towards his demonstration of bodily functions or for their current situation.
"You defaced several minted coins over the past several days. I must remind you that the destruction or alteration of genuine money is strictly prohibited by law."
"But… but I have authorization. For the assignment. Besides, I put them back. I changed them back to what they were."
"Your intentions and preceding actions are irrelevant. The law is what it is. I can't do anything about that."
"But that's why we have authorization -"
"Consider this your warning. If I hear about further misconduct, there will be severe consequences. Am I understood, Major Elric?"
Edward wasn't sure if Colonel Holland understood. Despite the seriousness of his words, his voice shook and his eyes darted to and fro, like he was afraid he might be accused of gossiping if he didn't end this conversation quickly.
For very different reasons, Edward obliged him.
"Yes, sir. Understood, sir."
Edward turned to go.
"Major Elric? One more thing?"
Ed forced himself to stop and turn back.
"Please do not bring food or beverages when you check in. The second lieutenants are awake much earlier than you and they find the possibility of refreshment distracting."
Without saying anything, Ed tipped his head back and chugged the remains of his morning coffee, tossing the paper cup in the nearest waste basket.
Colonel Holland smiled at him.
Edward smiled back.
He felt like a mouse looking up into the eyes of the hawk swooping down towards it, talons open and claws sharp.
When he entered the conference room, his hands were shaking, thought not from the coffee.
XXX
On the bright side, Edward supposed, the fact that he had already sorted out the coins meant that he didn't have to transmute the real coins anymore.
Edward reminded himself of this as he worked, stomach growling and head foggy from skipping his morning muffin and coffee, as Window Guy leaned back in the corner and Chair Guy snored away.
Edward had tried iridium, platinum, and mercury without any luck. To add to his misfortune, the counterfeit coin he had been working with decided that it had had enough.
It burst in to pieces with a violence that had Ed reeling. He managed to catch himself, but not before his metal hand knocked into the stack of counterfeit coins.
The noise of the coin breaking brought Chair Guy awake with a start and a vicious swear. Window Guy sneered as the coins rolled around the wooden floor.
"Goddamn imbecile! The hell is wrong with you?!" Chair Guy roared, standing up and red-faced and more energetic than Ed had ever seen him.
"I… I just tripped. It's not a big deal." Edward tried to muster up some of his traditional brashness. It was a difficult thing to do when he was running on nearly no sugar in his blood. Demonstrating the lack of the size of the deal, Ed picked up another coin and consulted the open book on the table for the rune for bismuth.
A huge hand planted itself on the page, cutting off his view.
"Aren't you going to clean up the mess you made?"
Edward met Chair Guy's glare with one of his own and pulled his book closer and out from underneath the man's hand.
"I'm busy right now. Why don't you handle it?"
There was a silence that Ed misinterpreted. He realized his mistake when Window Guy broke it.
"What did you say?"
Edward glanced at Window Guy, who was no longer leaning against the wall.
His face was livid but his eyes were bright. He looked like a snake bearing down on its prey.
Edward could be a snake himself.
"I said, you handle it. I'm dealing with this."
"Who the hell do you think you are?! I'm old enough to be your father! Where do you get off, telling me what to do?"
"I think," Edward said, pointedly studying the next coin he picked up rather than Window Guy, "that I outrank you and so I can make that an order."
"And I think brats who think they're their betters are in need of a real harsh slap of reality."
It was Chair Guy who said this. Edward didn't give him the pleasure of a glance.
XXX
Edward was sure that his heard was going to burst in his chest with the way his blood was boiling.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Window Guy looked up lazily, neither confirming nor denying that he knew what Ed was talking about. Edward managed to stop himself from punching the second lieutenant in his stupid face but couldn't stop his automail hand from curling into a fist.
"You… You locked me out!"
Window Guy blinked almost uncomprehendingly.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have your court-martialed for insubordination!"
Window Guy rolled his head on his neck, away from Edward and back towards his all-encompassing view of the street.
"It's a security risk, letting just anyone walk into city hall."
Edward's metal fingers creaked.
"I don't have a key. If you lock the door, I can't get back in."
"Then I guess you'd better not leave."
Chair Guy guffawed from his beloved armchair.
Edward was shaking, both from the sudden influx of food from his first meal of the day and in barely constrained fury. He looked from Window Guy to Chair Guy, their smug expressions and breathy chuckles making him shake all the harder.
"I will have your uniforms by the end of the day."
"Kinky," Window Guy mumbled, pretending to be talking to himself but obviously wanting Edward to hear him. Chair Guy laughed harder.
Edward forced himself to go back to the table and back to work, but his hands trembled so badly that the coin kept slipping through his fingers.
XXX
"I have received complaints on your attire."
Edward felt his stomach start to growl and quickly pressed his hand into his belly to stifle the sound.
"I don't have a uniform. They don't make them in my size."
"I don't know about Colonel Mustang, but I don't tolerate excuses."
Edward swallowed the unamused laugh that crawled up his throat.
"I've also been told that you have been compromising the building's security by leaving front doors unlocked when you leave."
"I need to eat lunch and I don't have a key."
"I've already said that I don't tolerate excuses."
Colonel Holland fidgeted where he stood. He looked like a boy who had been caught stealing from the cookie jar, which was ironic considering he was the one who was meant to be delivering the reprimand.
Ed felt his stomach growl again beneath his hand.
"I don't know what you want me to do about it."
"You may borrow a spare uniform from my unit."
"It won't fit me."
"Was that an excuse?"
The question was supposed to sound menacing. Instead Holland's voice pitched up as if he was asking after a personal phobia of his.
"No, sir. I was just stating a fact."
"Then here is another one. You will wear the uniform. You will lock the door behind you. Otherwise, there will be severe consequences. Am I understood?"
Not at all.
"Yes, sir."
XXX
"You altered the uniform."
Edward glared. It was his third day without breakfast and without the food fuel his body and his prosthetics, the world was turning dull and smudgy around the edges.
"It didn't fit me."
"You were not given permission to make changes to the town's property. This includes the doors."
Edward moved his hand from his stomach to his shoulder, grabbing the slipping collar of his hastily shrunken uniform. Even with the changes, it was still at least one size too large. His empty belly took the chance to protect its vacancy. Ed felt his ears turn pink with embarrassment at the sound.
"I don't have a key. I can't unlock it without alchemy."
"Then you will not unlock it."
"Then how am I supposed to get back in after I leave?"
He knew what the answer it would be. That didn't stop him from hoping he was wrong.
XXX
Edward stared stupidly at the coin in front of him.
His head felt like it was full of holes. As soon as a thought came his way, it would leak out before he had a chance to properly study it. His eyes kept slipping closed and staying that way.
Without food, his body had little energy to do much more than sleep.
"Waste of space," he heard Chair Guy mutter to himself.
"Hey, now," Window Guy said from across the room. "He can't help that he's useless. Should'a been culled when he came out of his mum. Would'a saved everyone a good deal of misery."
Edward's head lolled up and he stared at Window Guy, genuinely wondering if this was the same person who had been standing in the corner of the conference room throughout his assignment. It was the first time either of the Guys had spoken to each other, let alone acknowledged each other's presence.
More alarming was the insinuation that Window Guy had just made.
"I bet his ma had to hide him in the basement. Only reason why they didn't drag the little pig out and give 'im the axe."
Ed's head swiveled to stare at Chair Guy.
Window Guy scoffed.
"I guess even stupid runts are cute to their mamas."
"I meant to spare her the embarrassment."
The Guys laughed meanly, for the first time, with each other.
"My mother wasn't embarrassed of me."
The words were slurred, tired and sideways, spurred only by the spark of mournful anger that had been lit by the thought of his mother.
"Oh?" Edward hadn't been expecting to become the center of the room, what with how the Guys were talking about him like he wasn't even there. Chair Guy smiled serenely, a stark contrast to his venom-filled gaze. "Must have played the sympathy card. Mommy's poor broken boy. The neighbor's wife has to do all the cooking and cleaning 'cause she's too busy keeping your defective ass from croaking."
Edward opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. It was true that the Rockbells had often helped with the house chores when he and Al had been to small to lend their little hands. One of his earliest memories was of Auntie Sarah and his mom opening the doors and windows to air out the house on the first warm day of spring.
"I'm… I'm not defective."
Window Guy whistled. Chair Guy slapped his knee and cackled.
"Really? Did the missing arm slip your mind like it slipped the rest of you?" Chair Guy was leaning forward and watching Edward's slumped body like it was a roast he had been invited to dig into.
Edward snarled, a vicious, animalistic sound. The Guys crowed like an audience watching a jazz number.
"Ooh, the puppy's got teeth. Gonna bite me, puppy? Better not piss on the floor. You go potty outside - oh, yeah, you're not allowed to leave."
"Window it is, then," Window Guy, waiting and watching for Ed's reaction.
Edward made a show of ignoring the both of them, trying desperately to fill his thoughts of the makings of the coin on the table in front of him.
"Uh, oh. Puppy's deaf."
"Damn. He must'a been real cute when his mommy squeezed 'im out. Wonder what deal she made with Daddy to keep 'im from tossing the little shit in the river."
"Who says Daddy stayed after the night of passion?"
Edward felt like he was going to be sick despite the fact that his stomach was more than empty.
It wasn't the mention of sex - Ed knew where babies came from, had always known, if he didn't really understand what, exactly, sex was, like knowing that gravity made things fall but no more than that.
It was the reminder that, once he and his brother had no longer been what they had been - cute, quiet, fun, whatever the allure had been - Hohenheim had grabbed his bags and left without looking back.
Edward often wondered if it was something he specifically had done. It was the first time it had occurred to him that things could have been much, much worse if his father had stayed.
"Ooh, did I guess right?" Window Guy was leaning forward so far that he was at risk of overbalancing and falling over himself. "Was Mommy a bad bitch who couldn't keep her tail over her c-"
Window Guy's namesake shattered, bits of glass flying in all directions.
Window Guy yelped and staggered away, covering his head with his arms. Chair Guy threw himself back into his namesake, his feet pulled up onto the seat with the rest of him so that he looked like a school teacher hiding from a mouse.
Edward stared at the what he had done, not sorry that he had hit the window but sorry that he had missed the Guy's face. In the moment of confusion, he took the chance to wipe away the tears that had escaped.
XXX
"I'm demoting you."
All the moisture in Ed's mouth vanished.
"But… but you can't -"
Colonel Holland flinched back, as if he expected Edward to bite him. At first, Ed thought it was because the man really did think that Edward would sink his teeth into him, but when the colonel said his next sentence while still recoiling, Edward realized that he actually couldn't take away Edward's rank.
Holland thought Ed had been calling his bluff.
"This is a… metaphorical demotion," Holland snatched at the words like he thought they could save him from his exposure. "You are young. They - I don't think you are quite ready for the amount of power you have been given. This is for your safety and the safety of the second lieutenants."
For a second, Edward felt some rueful satisfaction at the thought that Hanes and Schaffer were afraid of him.
Then he hated himself for it.
"You will salute to everyone, regardless of rank. You will refer to everyone as 'sir' regardless of rank."
"But I'm still really a major, so I can still give them orders."
Holland's face twisted and he puffed out his chest. He looked like a backwards peacock.
"Only I give orders here."
Edward did not call his bluff but he didn't fall for it, either.
XXX
"Forgetting something?"
Edward looked at Window Guy from the corner of his eye. The man, back at his signature position next to the glass that Ed had transmuted back together the day before, was grinning like he'd won the pot at a game of poker. Edward searched his tired, hungry brain until he found the conversation he'd had with Colonel Holland.
The nod of satisfaction Window Guy gave his salute filled him with a disgusting kind of relief.
"Good morning, kid."
Ed gave Chair Guy the same side-eyed look. When Chair Guy started to frown, Ed sighed and gave him what he wanted.
"Good morning… sir."
Chair Guy hummed and leaned back, putting his arms behind his head.
"Now that's more like it."
XXX
"I've been informed of your idleness."
Edward did not bother asking what Holland was talking about.
"I've been told you've been reading instead of dealing with the coins."
"I'm lookin'… lookin' up stuff for the coins. Research."
"You are not here to research. You are to here to manage the coins. If you must research, you can do it after hours. Am I understood?"
Edward let his eyes close and stay closed as he gave a limp salute.
"Yes, sir."
XXX
Wake up.
Go to city hall.
Ignore the hunger.
Stare at nothing.
"Why aren't you in school? Must'a been kicked out for being too stupid."
Salute.
"Yes, sir."
Stare at nothing.
"You're from Mustang's unit, right?"
Salute.
"Yes, sir."
A snort.
"Figures. That twit has a reputation for choosing the worst. Must be desperate for men. Lucky for you, right? What better place for a dunce cripple?"
Salute.
"Yes, sir."
Stare at nothing.
This was temporary.
This was nothing compared to what he still needed to do.
This was for Alphonse and nothing was ever too hard or too awful for Alphonse.
Stare at nothing.
"Worthless. Be grateful that I bother to even breathe the same air as you."
Stare at nothing.
"Well? What do you say?"
Salute.
"Thank you… sir."
Stare at nothing.
Bell rings.
Leave.
The smell of dinner at the hostel brought wetness to his eyes as well as his mouth.
Just like every night, he gorged himself, eating a whole loaf of fresh bread and stick of melted butter, three plates of casserole, and two pieces of cake.
Just like every night, the wife of the hostel's owner watched him feast with her brow pinched in concern.
He went up to his room and fell on his bed.
He slept.
XXX
Wake up.
Leave.
"I'm sorry, young man, but I can't have you going anywhere."
It took Ed an embarrassing three seconds to realize that she was talking to him.
The hostel owner's wife, who was the cook for the establishment, was blocking the door. When Ed tried to move around her, she put a hand on his arm.
"Sweetheart, you're sick. You need to go back to bed."
Ed's head was swimming with exhaustion as he shook it.
"No. No, I have to go. No excuses."
"Being ill isn't an excuse. It's a fact. Come on. Let's get you laying down. I'll bring you some ham and eggs."
Edward knew that he should fight her. He should push her out of the way and run to city hall. He doubted she would be able to catch him.
Fight her the way he should have fought Schaffer and Hanes.
The way he should have fought Holland.
"I expect you to be on your best behavior, Fullmetal. If I hear that you've been causing trouble for Colonel Holland, you can kiss any leads on the Philosopher's Stone goodbye. Am I understood?"
"Am I understood?"
"There will be severe consequences."
This was for Mustang.
He was dropped onto something soft.
Something heavy and warm fell on top of him.
"There we go. You go back to sleep. Let old Auntie Maxine take care of everything."
This was for Alphonse.
He could smell meat frying.
Hands were untangling his hair.
He slept too deeply for dreams.
I wanted Ed to be as in character as possible, but I also wanted to take some artistic liberties so I could self-project. A lot of the stuff going on here is based on things that actually happened to me.
I should work on my OG story, but I'm gonna go ahead and write the next chapter for this because I'm way behind on it and because I just wanna get it out of the way.
Time to go back to sleep.
Just like Ed-Boi.