Housework

Note: I can't find anywhere that says where Izumi lives, and I haven't gotten to the manga it's in yet either, bloody slow library. So, she lives in Dublith until further notice. And a mushy ending for this chapter, cause I can! Thank to everyone who reads, I'm (still) so glad you like it!

Curiosity and Nightmares

Roy was amazed. Things were just so much easier with boys. Well, not everything, as his long day attested to, but shopping certainly was. No odd looks for being out with a girl too old to be his daughter and too young to date, no one felt they should pat his ward on the head and gush about how cute she was, and there weren't nearly as many choices in style. And, best of all, Roy knew exactly where to go to get things, nice, masculine stores, without frills, lace, or pink things.

Edward was a joy to shop with. He walked in, chose things in approximately his size, all black, and was done. Roy did the same thing, with more variation in color. They soon found themselves alone outside the store, sitting on a bench, waiting. Al had to try on everything, in all styles and colors, even after Edward pointed out that they could just change anything that didn't fit. He'd been so big for so long that it was a novelty to have clothing again, and he took full advantage of it. He also wanted to dress his brother up, to see what went best with his coloring. The tantrum that had been building would not have been pretty so Roy saved the older boy and let him sit outside with him.

Eventually, the blond brother was bored and hungry. It had been three hours since lunch and they had run and played for most of that time, supervised by Roy from his outdoors desk. Fidgeting started, then whining. But not verbal whining, Roy could have ignored that, no, it was sad little looks, shifting around quietly, rubbing his stomach, fiddling with his shirt, drawing random arrays in the notebook Roy had thought to bring; all little gestures to show he was trying to behave. Roy was starting to regret having sent Havoc home.

“Stay here, don't move. I'll be right back.” Roy stood and searched briefly for Al. He walked over and informed him that he had 5 minutes to choose, then they were leaving. He turned and walked away, ignoring the whining coming from behind him. 5 minutes later, they were on their way home, stopping for supper on the way.

Al was placed in charge of the food, Edward couldn't be trusted when he was hungry, and got to sit in the front. Little hands reached over the seat and were swatted at, then feet started kicking the back of the seat. Roy ignored it all, hoping beyond hope he would get tired and stop. They finally got home and he fed the little monster, serving himself first to ensure he got something to eat. After supper, he retreated to his chair in the living room and started to read. Eventually, he noticed the two boys sitting on the floor, staring at each other.

“What are you doing?” The constant staring was unnerving, to say the least.

“Nothing, sir. We can't read and there's nothing else to do.” Al sounded as bored as Edward looked.

“Do you want to play a game? I can teach you how, if you don't know.” Roy stood and grabbed his chess set of the top shelf of the bookcase. “Come here, we'll use the coffee table.” The two boys crawled across the floor to sit beside the short table. “It's a strategy game, very simple to learn. First one to lose his king, loses the game.” Roy set it up, explaining each piece's movements. He returned to his chair and watched from the corner of his eye as the brothers moved experimentally, arguing over moves and shuffling around.

'This isn't so bad.' he thought for the hundredth time that day. 'I can do this. Just takes some patience and practice.' The phone rang shrilly, breaking into his musings. 'Who on earth is that?' It was pretty unusual for anyone to call him at home, unless it was a woman, but they called later than this. 'Haven't been on a date for awhile, I should set one up.' The phone rang again, calling him to the kitchen.

“Good evening, Roy Mustang.” A crisp voice answered him; Rose. “Ah, good evening Rose, how can I help you? You want them again? Are you certain? I can find something else for them to do. Well, that would be appreciated, they would like that. Me? Oh, I was out just last week, with you, don't you remember? Last month you say, well, time flies you know. I don't think that's necessary. Of course, I'm happy to defer to you in such matters. We'll see you tomorrow then, 7 o'clock? Excellent, thank you Rose. Have a good night.” Well, damn. Somehow, he had gotten suckered into going to the course tomorrow; Rose had his scary moments, especially when he thought someone wasn't getting enough exercise. But, he was going to set up a schedule for the boys, which was a good thing, as long as Roy didn't have to do it too.

He stood in the door and watched as Edward lost quickly to his brother. He walked over while they set it up again and provided advice from the sidelines, to both brothers, guiding them to a tie. Edward's concept of 'strategy' seemed to be charge straight ahead, which was not the way to win, at least not in chess. They played a few more rounds, Roy providing assistance from the side, mostly to Edward to allow a tie. Eventually, it was time for bed and he sent Edward off, motioning for Al to stay.

“Go to bed, Edward.” Roy watched the blond head sneak around the corner from where he'd been waiting. “Now, please. Al will be along shortly.”

He waited a minute, then stalked silently to the door and stepped through, startling a squeak out for the boy hiding beside it. Roy's hands found their way to his hips. “Get.” The blond stuck his nose in the air and stomped off to his room, closing the door loudly behind him.

“Now, Al. I would like you to answer some questions for me.” He settled into his chair and waved for the metal boy to sit on the couch.

“What kind of questions?” Al was a bit nervous, Roy hadn't spoken to him alone yet, and it was unnerving to be without his brother.

“Simple ones. Where is Izumi Curtis? She's not in Ressembool.”

Al shifted around, not looking at him. “I don't think teacher would like it if I told you. She'd be mad. She doesn't like the military very much.”

“I'm not going to tell anyone, at least not until I talk to her. But, I would like to meet her. Where is she Al?”

“Why do you want to talk to her? Will you take us to see her?”

“Yes, we can all go to see her. I want to talk to her about your training. I need to know how far she's taken you and what you still need to be taught.”

“Ok. Why can't I tell you what we know?” Roy smiled.

“It's not the same as having someone who taught you tell me. She knows your limits exactly and will give me a better idea. Now, tell me where she is please.”

“Yes sir. She lives in Dublith, her husband runs a butcher shop there. When can we go back? Soon?” his excitement was obvious, vibrating in his voice.

Roy just smiled again. “In a while, I have to get time off and you two need to get your strength up again, it's a long ways. How long did you train with her?”

“Six months, maybe a year, right after mom died. She taught us fighting and how to use alchemy. She's really scary sometimes, and really strong. Sieg is really nice, and really really strong. He's her husband. When can we go, we haven't seen her since we finished training, it's been years and Brother would like to go too, I know he would.”

“Soon, we'll go soon. I promise. Why don't you go to bed? We'll talk about it in the morning.” Roy waved him down the hall, smiling at his enthusiasm. 'Well, better have Hawkeye get the leave forms ready, looks like a vacation is in order. Now, where did that book go?' Papers shuffled on his desk as he searched for his black book. He skimmed through it, looking for someone interesting. Nothing, no one appealed to him. 'Oh well, I'll look later. Maybe I'll ask Havoc, he always meets nice girls.'

The next morning started a new routine for the household. Up at 6, much too early in Roy's opinion, breakfast, off to the training grounds for the boys, to the office for a nap for Roy, lunch together, play time in the afternoon, usually on the West field with Roy supervising, supper at home, and chess in the evenings. The week passed quickly, and Roy sighed with relief when it was over; he could sleep in now. Unfortunately, on the eighth day, Roy woke to pounding on his door and opened it to see a little blond shape waiting for him. He tried to explain that they didn't need to go anymore and got such disappointed looks that he gave in and got dressed.

The Drill Sergeant was pleased to see them and filed them immediately in with his ranks. Roy stumbled off to his office to hide for an hour before Hawkeye got in. Rose had provided him with an itinerary for the boys, with the strong suggestion that Roy join them in it. A simple plan, running, obstacles, weights, and more running, it was easy enough to get the brothers to follow. Roy got dragged along because he couldn't just let them run around by themselves, and found himself enjoying the early morning runs, listening to Al chatter away about anything he saw or heard or imagined.

While Edward liked to run, his true passion was the gym, one of Roy's most hated pastimes. The older man would often abandon them at the doors to return to his office, trusting the staff to look after them. After the gym, the boys would join Rose for the morning, show up at the office for lunch, then head for the library for the afternoon, immersing themselves in knowledge. One of Al's morning topics had been the Philosopher's Stone and how they wished to use it. Roy had tried to talk them out of it, with little success. He actively encouraged their research into other methods, steering them away from the red stone and it's dangers.

Another new habit they had fallen into occurred in the evenings. After few games of chess, the boys would sit down with paper and pencils and draw arrays, for whatever Roy could think of. The two young alchemists loved to stretch their imaginations and skills, testing and refining new arrays, pushing their skills to determine their limits. Eventually, Roy had to start taking ideas from friends to keep up; his imagination simply didn't extend that far. He kept them leashed, teaching patience and consideration in every lesson, to be gentle and not cause harm, however unintentional. He taught them to think the consequences through, to determine the end results before beginning. He loosened the leash smoothly, allowing them to see the results of hastiness and to learn their own brand of control. He started them on ethics and forced them to ask questions about their ideas. Did moving clay soldiers have any type of soul or feeling? Could they move by themselves or only at their creator's will? Were they alive? Were chimeras the same? Were they more or less alive for being created? Was it right to ask payment for a skill they were born with? Could they deny help to anyone in need? Was it alright to use alchemy to further their own stations?

The boys listened, wrote, discussed, and learned, soaking up all knowledge that was presented to them. They discovered their own power, learning to leash it on their own. The basics for compassion, right and wrong had already been ingrained in them, but the fine points, edges of philosophy, were honed by Roy.

Three weeks after the boys had come to him, Edward's mind caught up, bringing nightmares and long nights sitting awake, shivering in terror. The first one woke Roy with screams and Al yelling for him. Roy dashed down the hall, not even bothering with a robe and banged on the door. Al was crying, yelling for him. He pushed the door open and saw Al on the bed, holding Edward's arms above his head while he kicked and screamed.

“Al! Al, it's alright. I'm here, it's ok. Why are you holding him like that?” Roy walked over to the bed, speaking over Edward. “You'll leave bruises.”

“He's hurting himself, he won't stop, make him stop.” Al sobbed, he knew he was hurting his brother but he couldn't let go.

“I can't touch him, Al, you now the rules. Did you shake him, to wake him up?” Roy stood by, feeling helpless, but he wasn't about to break the rules he had set out.

“Yes, you can, please! I'll give you permission, I'll tell him it was all my fault! I tried to wake him up, he won't. Please, help him!” The screaming hadn't begun to quiet yet and Al's tearful voice finally convinced Roy.

He motioned Al over and took his place on the bed, sliding his hands over Edward's wrists, tugging them up and using them to pull the small boy into his lap. He tucked him sideways, placing both little hands in one of his, holding them in the boy's lap and used an elbow to hold his legs down. The blond head was forced under his chin and his free arm went around the thin back for support. He rocked gently, holding his prisoner tightly, restricting movement and making a purring sound to calm him. Soon, the screaming quieted to soft sobs and the fighting stopped altogether. Roy loosened his hand, freeing Edward's hands. He ran his now free hand up and down the slim arms, noting the crescent shaped scars on the flesh one, just above the inside of his elbow all the way down to the middle of his forearm. Most were white and old, but there were a few red ones. Al crawled over and was invited to press against Roy's side near his brother's back.

“Al? Did he do this?” Roy asked quietly, not wanting to scare the younger boy anymore. Al nodded and buried his head in Roy's arm. It didn't seem like the best time to press, so Roy let it go. He sat and held the two until Edward wriggled and looked up. “Hey. Awake, huh? Are you alright?” Edward pushed at him, climbing off his lap. “Ok. Off you go. We'll talk about it in the morning, alright?” Roy stood and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

In the morning, there was no knock on his door signalling it was time to run, but he hadn't expected one. Roy left his room and went to the kitchen to find breakfast on the table and a subdued Edward sitting at the table.

“Good morning.” Roy seated himself and smiled at Al when a plate appeared in front of him. “You can't ignore me, I have something to say to you. About last night...” A furious glare and a bright blush cut him off. “Now, now, listen. At the time it was necessary, but that doesn't make it right. I broke the rules, I didn't have your permission to touch you. So, you now get to decide on a punishment for me. Please try to be reasonable.” He waited, watching Edward stare at him in disbelief. He almost started talking again, but thought better of it, opting to allow the boy to think of something on his own, without interference. When the blond looked to his brother, he spoke up again. “No, you have to decide. Al doesn't get to help.” Gold eyes shot back to him, indecision clear. Finally, a wave towards the sink. A black eyebrow arched. Another wave towards the sink. “Dishes? You want me to wash dishes?” A hesitant nod. “Alright, if you think that's fair.” Roy stood and unbuttoned his sleeves to roll them back. He started running new water and added soap, waving Al back when he went to help. He could feel Edward's eyes on him while he washed. “You now, rules apply to everyone, Edward, not just a few. I have to follow them as much as you do or face the consequences. Isn't that what I've been teaching you?” He didn't turn around, knowing both would be nodding. He finished up quickly, Al had already done most of them by the time he started.

“Well, let's get going, we'll be late.” He dried his hands and pulled his uniform back into place. Ed grabbed his book and headed out the door, Al lagging behind him.

“Sir?”

“Yes, Al?” Roy rummaged around, looking for his bag. He was sure it was by the door somewhere.

“Thank you sir. I'm really glad we came to live with you.” He sounded terribly embarrassed and scooted out the door before Roy could reply.

“Me too, Al. Me too.”