For Her. For Him.
folder
Fullmetal Alchemist › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
43
Views:
20,944
Reviews:
312
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Fullmetal Alchemist › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
43
Views:
20,944
Reviews:
312
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Parting
A/N: Tried to fix formatting problems with last chapter. If you read the unedited one, please re-read. Sorry.
Chapter 10
Parting
By Thursday, Ed was feeling more like himself, mood swings not included. He had even convinced Roy to spar with him, not that the Flame Alchemist was very good at it, though he had been extremely cautious not to injure the teen and not to hit him in the stomach. Roy had been reluctant, but between having a usually active teen growing antsy with lack of activity and said teen constantly prodding him into the spar, it hadn’t taken long to get him into the courtyard going one on one with Ed. After all, Ed was right in pointing out that not all enemies will be using guns or alchemy, and for someone who’s useless in water, a little hand-to-hand experience isn’t such a bad idea.
As Ed walked through the halls of Central that Thursday, he felt like everyone was looking at him. Roy had joked he was beginning to “glow,” even though Ed himself thought that was absolute crap. Still, he was putting on weight and had grown a small chest that, he repeatedly though to himself, could stop growing any time soon. And everyone seemed to notice he was not wearing his usual clothes.
“Hey, Boss,” Havoc said as Ed stood outside of Roy’s office. “Feeling better?”
“A little. Doctor Knox still says no over-exerting myself.” Ed folded his arms, biting his lip as he brushed the sensitive breasts beneath the sweater. “So, of course, Colonel Bastard decided I could start working on research and paperwork.”
“So, are you going to stay at the colonel’s after we all get shipped out?”
“What?”
“Just found out today. Fuhrer Bradley has all of us in Mustang’s unit headed south to flush out Scar.”
Ed could feel his heart sinking to his feet. “He’s going?” Ed began find it hard to breathe.
“We all are.” Havoc looked at Ed strangely. “Boss, you all right?” Ed nodded, a simple bob of his head. He turned and knocked on the door. “You sure? You kind of went gray all of a sudden.”
Ed heard Roy tell him to come in as he opened the door, he turned to Havoc. “I’m fine, really.” Shutting the door behind him, Ed stormed up to Mustang’s desk. “You are going south to fight Scar?”
Mustang turned in his chair, a sort of headset on his ears. “I just found out a few hours ago.”
“And what am I supposed to do? Al’s off with whatever the hell ‘interesting’ thing is going on in Dublith. You’re headed south to fight a man who hates state alchemists, you probably more than most because you fought in Ishbal.”
“I did more than fight, Ed,” Roy said, eyes looking down at the equipment as though trying to find where to plug in the headset.
“Colonel?”
“In Ishbal, alchemists were weapons.” Roy began hooking up the equipment on his desk. “Some of us were even made to enhance our powers.”
“You don’t want to fight them again.”
“I never wanted to the first time, but I’ve always been an obedient dog of the military.”
Ed sat on the colonel’s mahogany desk beside the telephone. “Roy?”
The use of his name seemed to get the colonel’s attention. “You’ve seen what the red stone can do for alchemic powers.”
Ed leaned forward and rubbed Roy’s arm. It was the least he could do for the man who always seemed to scoop him up when he turned into a puddle of tears. “They gave you a red stone? No wonder you try to drink yourself to death. Numbers and death tolls can go from dozens--”
“To hundreds. Especially when you can light up an entire city block like that.” Roy snapped, sending a small spark and quickly diminished flame over his gloved hand.
Then, the telephone rang. Roy composed himself and signaled Ed to answer.
“Hello?”
“Ed?” Al’s voice said, echoing doubly between the armor and Roy’s device on the line.
“We’re okay, Al. Roy’s got the line tapped so he can listen for any signs of someone dropping in on our call. What was so interesting?”
“First you, Ed. How are the babies?”
“Healthy,” Ed said, irritated Al wouldn’t answer.
“And the bleeding?”
“To complete a path out for the twins.” Ed didn’t add that Dr. Knox felt the only way that path would heal would be if it had served its purpose. That thought made him blush, remembering how the doctor had instructed him that it wasn’t quite designed like the real thing and that he should not try to use the mock vagina for anything but delivering the babies. As though Ed had any intention of ever doing that. And worst of all, Roy had been there, his hand in Ed’s holding back a bemused grin while Ed wished once again for the floor to engulf him.
“Are you okay, brother?”
“Feeling more like myself, well physically. Emotionally, I’m a wreck, but big surprise.”
“That isn’t really a new development.”
“Tease all you want, because if I come and visit, I’m transmuting you into a tin can.” Ed sighed. "Now, tell me about the guest.”
“When I was helping Teacher load up some things from Yock Island--she was planning on stranding us there again--a boy came out of the woods. He doesn’t remember anything about who he is, but he has an ourobouros on his right foot.”
“A homunculus?”
“Teacher seems to know him. And, Ed, this is the part I don’t want you to get really upset about, even though I know you will. His left leg and right arm don’t match, well, they match one another, but not him.”
Ed could see Roy looking up at him, wide-eyed.
“Mine.”
“I’m pretty sure. He’s got a scar on the right arm where you used to.” Ed began rubbing his throbbing head with his left hand “Brother?”
“Still here, Al.”
“You need to talk to him, or to Izumi. Something isn’t quite right, and she is still treating me like a kid.”
“Roy has to go south with the military. I was thinking of either visiting you there or taking a trip to Risembool.” Though it would have been just Edward and Pinako in Risembool since Winry was off studying how to improve her mechanic skills. “I’ll be there in a few days. Okay, Al?”
********
The next morning at the train station, a few of the soldiers from Mustang’s unit noticed the teary goodbye Fullmetal gave his commander at the depot before the colonel took a military train south and the major took a civilian one in the same direction an hour later.
The two alchemists only shook hands, but some expert lip readers, or who at least thought they were, said Fullmetal told the colonel to “Come back in one piece.”
The colonel replied, “And you take care of them. And yourself.”
Chapter 10
Parting
By Thursday, Ed was feeling more like himself, mood swings not included. He had even convinced Roy to spar with him, not that the Flame Alchemist was very good at it, though he had been extremely cautious not to injure the teen and not to hit him in the stomach. Roy had been reluctant, but between having a usually active teen growing antsy with lack of activity and said teen constantly prodding him into the spar, it hadn’t taken long to get him into the courtyard going one on one with Ed. After all, Ed was right in pointing out that not all enemies will be using guns or alchemy, and for someone who’s useless in water, a little hand-to-hand experience isn’t such a bad idea.
As Ed walked through the halls of Central that Thursday, he felt like everyone was looking at him. Roy had joked he was beginning to “glow,” even though Ed himself thought that was absolute crap. Still, he was putting on weight and had grown a small chest that, he repeatedly though to himself, could stop growing any time soon. And everyone seemed to notice he was not wearing his usual clothes.
“Hey, Boss,” Havoc said as Ed stood outside of Roy’s office. “Feeling better?”
“A little. Doctor Knox still says no over-exerting myself.” Ed folded his arms, biting his lip as he brushed the sensitive breasts beneath the sweater. “So, of course, Colonel Bastard decided I could start working on research and paperwork.”
“So, are you going to stay at the colonel’s after we all get shipped out?”
“What?”
“Just found out today. Fuhrer Bradley has all of us in Mustang’s unit headed south to flush out Scar.”
Ed could feel his heart sinking to his feet. “He’s going?” Ed began find it hard to breathe.
“We all are.” Havoc looked at Ed strangely. “Boss, you all right?” Ed nodded, a simple bob of his head. He turned and knocked on the door. “You sure? You kind of went gray all of a sudden.”
Ed heard Roy tell him to come in as he opened the door, he turned to Havoc. “I’m fine, really.” Shutting the door behind him, Ed stormed up to Mustang’s desk. “You are going south to fight Scar?”
Mustang turned in his chair, a sort of headset on his ears. “I just found out a few hours ago.”
“And what am I supposed to do? Al’s off with whatever the hell ‘interesting’ thing is going on in Dublith. You’re headed south to fight a man who hates state alchemists, you probably more than most because you fought in Ishbal.”
“I did more than fight, Ed,” Roy said, eyes looking down at the equipment as though trying to find where to plug in the headset.
“Colonel?”
“In Ishbal, alchemists were weapons.” Roy began hooking up the equipment on his desk. “Some of us were even made to enhance our powers.”
“You don’t want to fight them again.”
“I never wanted to the first time, but I’ve always been an obedient dog of the military.”
Ed sat on the colonel’s mahogany desk beside the telephone. “Roy?”
The use of his name seemed to get the colonel’s attention. “You’ve seen what the red stone can do for alchemic powers.”
Ed leaned forward and rubbed Roy’s arm. It was the least he could do for the man who always seemed to scoop him up when he turned into a puddle of tears. “They gave you a red stone? No wonder you try to drink yourself to death. Numbers and death tolls can go from dozens--”
“To hundreds. Especially when you can light up an entire city block like that.” Roy snapped, sending a small spark and quickly diminished flame over his gloved hand.
Then, the telephone rang. Roy composed himself and signaled Ed to answer.
“Hello?”
“Ed?” Al’s voice said, echoing doubly between the armor and Roy’s device on the line.
“We’re okay, Al. Roy’s got the line tapped so he can listen for any signs of someone dropping in on our call. What was so interesting?”
“First you, Ed. How are the babies?”
“Healthy,” Ed said, irritated Al wouldn’t answer.
“And the bleeding?”
“To complete a path out for the twins.” Ed didn’t add that Dr. Knox felt the only way that path would heal would be if it had served its purpose. That thought made him blush, remembering how the doctor had instructed him that it wasn’t quite designed like the real thing and that he should not try to use the mock vagina for anything but delivering the babies. As though Ed had any intention of ever doing that. And worst of all, Roy had been there, his hand in Ed’s holding back a bemused grin while Ed wished once again for the floor to engulf him.
“Are you okay, brother?”
“Feeling more like myself, well physically. Emotionally, I’m a wreck, but big surprise.”
“That isn’t really a new development.”
“Tease all you want, because if I come and visit, I’m transmuting you into a tin can.” Ed sighed. "Now, tell me about the guest.”
“When I was helping Teacher load up some things from Yock Island--she was planning on stranding us there again--a boy came out of the woods. He doesn’t remember anything about who he is, but he has an ourobouros on his right foot.”
“A homunculus?”
“Teacher seems to know him. And, Ed, this is the part I don’t want you to get really upset about, even though I know you will. His left leg and right arm don’t match, well, they match one another, but not him.”
Ed could see Roy looking up at him, wide-eyed.
“Mine.”
“I’m pretty sure. He’s got a scar on the right arm where you used to.” Ed began rubbing his throbbing head with his left hand “Brother?”
“Still here, Al.”
“You need to talk to him, or to Izumi. Something isn’t quite right, and she is still treating me like a kid.”
“Roy has to go south with the military. I was thinking of either visiting you there or taking a trip to Risembool.” Though it would have been just Edward and Pinako in Risembool since Winry was off studying how to improve her mechanic skills. “I’ll be there in a few days. Okay, Al?”
********
The next morning at the train station, a few of the soldiers from Mustang’s unit noticed the teary goodbye Fullmetal gave his commander at the depot before the colonel took a military train south and the major took a civilian one in the same direction an hour later.
The two alchemists only shook hands, but some expert lip readers, or who at least thought they were, said Fullmetal told the colonel to “Come back in one piece.”
The colonel replied, “And you take care of them. And yourself.”