For Her. For Him.

Chapter 14

Bad Blood

As the train hissed to a stop at the depot, Ed was led onto the train by the tall Lieutenant Colonel, who manhandled him as he pushed him up the steps of the train. Al received much better treatment, as he had Armstrong guiding him by the arm. As he was shoved, Ed couldn’t help but think there was something sick and warped in the world that a man like Archer was allowed to take the place of someone like Hughes.

Being thrust onto the train, Ed almost missed a dark blur he felt certain was Mustang running from the train. He was impressed. The man really could move if he had to. Once fully on the train, Ed heaved a visible sigh of relief as he was faced with Havoc, greeting them like lost friends and not detainees. “Hey, Boss, Al, Major,” he said with a smirk, right hand saluting, cigarette dangling from his lips. The smirk vanished. “Lieutenant Colonel.”

“I have the major and his brother here to be brought back to Central.”

“The colonel told me to apologize, but since the train is pretty full with troops, the boss and his brother are going to share Colonel Mustang’s compartment. Major Armstrong will be with Falman and Breda, hopefully able to keep the peace between them. And you, Lieutenant Colonel are stuck two cars back with Fuery and me.”

Archer’s eyes became mere slits as Havoc almost swaggeringly led them each to their respective seats, Archer's last of all. With a pleased grin, Ed watched as the lieutenant colonel was led further into the train. Seeing Archer turn back at him with a glare, Ed slid into the compartment, shutting the door and laughing his head off. He didn’t notice as Al sat down, but looking at the compartment with its two bench seats, he was grateful the colonel traveled in what was more or less first class, since the seats elsewhere on the train looked barely wide enough to seat both Al’s large armor and Ed with any comfort for the blond. Here, Ed thought he might be able to stretch a bit, even if sitting beside his brother. As Mustang was not aboard yet, Ed took it to his advantage, stretching out across the seat opposite Al, hoping that on this trip, he could actually get some sleep, seriously wishing for no noisy neighbors here. After all, the only one on this train with such a reputation was the man he was sharing a cabin with. Ed shifted to his side, fighting off some very impure thoughts he could not afford to have as he was currently staring directly at his little brother.

“Colonel Mustang has been very nice to us,” Al said.

“Yep,” Ed answered. “There are some benefits to this.” He rubbed the slightly larger bump on his stomach. He wondered if the colonel would notice that it was growing and if he would be excited to see it if he did. The difference wasn’t incredibly noticeable, but the change was there.

“Brother?” Ed looked up at Al, that tiny smile still on his face that he found always appeared when he was thinking of the babies. “I know I can’t really feel, but can I?” Ed moved his hands away and pushed his stomach out just slightly as Al gently rubbed a metal hand over the bump. “I wish I could feel them.”

“Then I guess you’re giving me a deadline for getting your body back. Let’s see, I have a little over five months left, so I guess I have to get it back before then.”

Ed could feel the train was beginning to move again, lurching, sending Al to the back of the bench. Al had no sooner slipped back in the seat than the door slid open, revealing Mustang, standing, two rather large brown bottles clanking under his arm. Ed tried not to grin as he noticed the older man seemed a bit winded.

“What are those?” Ed asked.

“Your ‘medicine,’” Roy answered as he held up the first bottle, which was filled with what looked like fifty normal-sized pills.

“How long did the doc expect me to be on this train? How many doses is that?”

“Six.” Ed cocked his head to the side as his eyes widened slightly. “They think I was picking these up for a woman who needed supplements for 48 days. So for you, it means eight pills per dose.” Ed’s jaw dropped in shock, his eyes large and pathetic.

“Eight?” It was then that Ed paid attention to the second bottle in the colonel’s hands. “What’s that one?”

“These are the antibiotic for your stomach problems.” Roy handed the bottle of hormones to Ed. “There’s water on the pull-down shelf behind your head, Fullmetal.” Ed turned around and saw that there was a decanter with water and a glass seeming to be ready for Ed, as he knew that the colonel didn’t keep water when other potables were available. Pouring himself a glass, Ed watched as Mustang moved to the window, dumping the contents of the antibiotic bottle through the small opening. “You should be glad you didn’t have to take those eight at a time. I think they were horse pills.”

Ed held the handful of the estrogen supplements in his hand. “I’m going to have a hard time choking all of these down as it is.”

As Ed prepared himself to take the massive quantity of female hormones, Roy took the bottle off of him, exchanging its contents to the now empty bottle that bore Ed’s name and the prescription for the antibiotic. He then incinerated the label on the hormone bottle and placed it in an overhead compartment.

“I’m sorry to have ignored you like that, Al,” Roy said as he sat beside Ed, who had been forced to sit completely upright to ensure that each of the pills made it down.

“It’s okay, Colonel.”

“Though I’d love to ask you more about your time in Dublith, these walls aren’t entirely thick, and I’d rather talk to you all in private.”

“I think Lieutenant Colonel Archer would like to do the same,” Al said.

“I’m sure he would,” Roy said. Ed couldn’t help but notice how dark Roy’s face had become. Most hated Archer for being one of the military’s most obedient dogs, but he was second only to the colonel himself. As a matter of fact, the ambition the two men had and their loyalty to the military had often earned them comparisons, though it was a known fact that Archer found far more pleasure in doing battle than Mustang ever had. “Speaking of Archer, I am going to need written statements from both of you to present at Central. I’ve already called ahead, trying to cut Archer off at the pass, and the fuhrer has already agreed to drop charges if he is satisfied with the report. I don’t expect you to divulge your most private details, but you will probably have to tell more than you would normally feel comfortable with.”

Ed no sooner finished the final pill and downed the glass of water when he looked over at Mustang. “Do you want to, um…”

Roy looked at Ed strangely for a moment, the finely veneered and formal face of the commander melting for a moment as Ed turned toward him, one hand lifting his shirt slightly, the other pulling down the waist of the pants just a bit. Roy had hesitated last time when there had been a nightshirt between them, and now he seemed even more reluctant without even that barrier. It was a moment before the Flame Alchemist allowed his bare hand to make contact with the flesh of Ed’s stomach, hands softened by lack of enormous physical labor and a great amount of time in gloves rubbed over the sensitive skin, a proud smile growing until it threatened to break his face. In return, Ed could not help looking up at his commanding officer, eyes glowing.

With a clearing of a throat he didn’t have, Al reminded the two that he was still in the compartment with them. Mustang pulled away from Ed. “So, tell me Fullmetal,” he said, shifting himself into the corner where the seat met the wall, “why aren’t you putting up more of a fight about all this?”

“I wondered the same thing, Brother,” Al said.

Ed turned, taking a position similar to Mustang’s on his side of the cushioned bench. He lowered his voice, remembering all too well how thin walls could be on a train. “Because I now have someone on the inside.”

“Brother?”

“Wrath, as he calls himself now, trusts me. He doesn’t like me, but he trusts me. Right now, he’s with Envy and will play the part he needs to.”

“And you trust him?” Roy asked, eyes searching Ed’s face. Very quietly, Ed recounted what Wrath had said during their fight, feeling he had convinced his brother and colonel.

Ed was beginning to feel very tired, and nearly had drifted off into a comfortable sleep when he heard mewing that sounded like it was coming from inside of a trash can. Gold eyes shot open. “Al!” The armor hunched down as small as it was capable. “How the hell did you find time to pick up another stray?”

“When Major Armstrong was talking and flexing. He didn’t notice me picking it up.”

“Al, we can’t keep that. You know the rules.”

“That’s one of the benefits of not living in the dorms,” Roy said with a smile. “Can I see it, Al?”

Al reached into his armor, pulling out a kitten just large enough to fit in both of Roy’s hands. It was a calico with large spots of black and tan covering the top of its body, a spot of white on its head and covering the underside of its body. With large green eyes, it looked up at the older alchemist, who scratched its tiny head with his thumb.

“As long as Black Hayate doesn’t try to eat her, we’ll be okay.”

“It’s a girl?” Ed asked, leaning over to scratch under the animal’s chin.

“It’s a tortoiseshell calico. They’re always female.” Ed looked at him curiously. “My mother had one when I was a kid.”

“So, um?” Al asked.

“I prefer dogs, but she's friendly enough that I don’t mind.” Roy handed the kitten back to Al, who made a noise that sounded like relief that finally he was going to be able to keep one of his strays. Ed couldn’t help but feel this was Roy’s way of making his little brother feel more included. The teen could hardly fight the contented expression on his face as he began to drift into sleep.

********

Roy hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep until he heard Fullmetal crying out in pain.

“Damn it, Al, what was that for?” Ed was bent over, rubbing his right shin.

The door to the compartment slid open and a dark-haired spectacled young man leaned a head in. “Colonel Mustang?” he said timidly.

“Yes, Master Seargent Fuery?”

“I was told by Lieutenant Colonel Archer to come and find you. He wants to speak to you.”

Roy tensed. “I will be there in a few moments.”

Fuery nodded, then shut the door behind him.

“That was why I kicked you, Brother,” Al said. “I could hear Private Fuery coming, and you were sound asleep on the Colonel’s chest.” So that was why Roy had the feeling of a loss of heat on his body. He’d been used as a pillow. “It really didn’t look good to someone who hadn’t seen the two of you fall asleep and end up like that.” From the tone of Al’s voice, Roy doubted it had looked proper even to someone who had.

The colonel rose from his seat, straightening his uniform and running his hands through his hair. “In the fold-out portion behind Al, there is some food. Help yourself to it, Ed. And there should be a can of something that the cat should be able to eat, Al.”

“We need to come up with a name for it,” Ed said, moving across the compartment to search the recessed area.

“I’ll think of something. I just want the name to be right.” Al paused. “Speaking of which, have you two thought of any?”

“We did. We figured, since it’s a boy and girl, Riza and Maes,” Ed answered, kneeling on the bench beside Al, facing the wall, pulling out a few packages of crackers and some tins of food.

Roy was about to walk out when he heard, “Oh.” He turned around and looked at the suit of armor, as Ed twisted around on his knees to face his brother. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t think… I mean, you’re still going to stay in touch with Gracia and Elysia, right?”

“Of course,” Roy answered.

“Well, I was just thinking it might be awkward calling for your son when they’re around, you know.” Al looked at the sleeping cat on his lap. “I mean, for middle names, but for first… I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“He makes a good point, Fullmetal.”

“Yeah,” Ed answered. “He usually does.”

Roy left the brothers behind as he made his way through the train cars back to the rear car, where Havoc and Fuery had gladly moved earlier in order to keep the lieutenant colonel as far away from Roy and the Elrics. Fuery, a bit newer to the military didn’t know all of the stories and had no idea of the bad blood between the two superior officers and had made the move simply to put the distance between Archer and the boys, but Roy knew Havoc was aware of his commander's reasons for despising the warmonger, if not knowing all of the details.

When he reached the very rear of the train, Roy found his two subordinates standing outside. “He won’t let us in,” Fuery said. “He said he wants to talk to you in private.” Roy knocked on the door, not about to open it himself. He would make the bastard do it, show him that despite how hard he tried to catch up in rank to Roy, he still hadn’t achieved it.

“Colonel, sir,” Fuery said, nervously, “I heard some of the guys saying you two used to be friends.”

The door slid open as Roy answered, “Only until I outranked Archer.”

“You are right, Colonel,” the man said from the doorway. “The best memories I have of you were when you were under me.”

Roy scowled at Archer, only to see Lieutenant Havoc moving as though to punch the man. “Don’t Lieutenant. In rank alone, he is your superior, but that is all that counts in a court-martial.”

********

When the colonel shut the door behind him, Havoc led Fuery back through the train. Mustang hadn’t lied when he said there wasn’t much room on the train for the four additional military personnel brought aboard. Practically every seat and compartment was full. “Come on, we’re going to visit with the major and his brother.”

Havoc lit a cigarette as they reached an opening between the cars. Standing there for a moment, he could feel Fuery’s puppy dog eyes looking up at him. “What?”

“If they were really friends, why do they hate one another so much?”

“The colonel was the friend, not Archer. The minute Colonel Mustang got the title of state alchemist, Archer started rumors that the colonel, who was a major at the time, had tried to seduce him, with promises of a promotion in rank. Archer had only been in the military officially for about a year and was just a sergeant. Colonel Mustang hadn’t even finished the academy and was a major instantly. It never sat right with Archer. So he decided to be a petty asshole.

“It nearly ruined the colonel’s career before it started. Not that anyone cared if he’d been with a guy, most aren’t so hung up on that. The upper-ups only cared that Archer was was a subordinate, and he’d supposedly used his rank to get what he wanted. He was brought before the court-martial for it. Far as I’ve heard, only black mark on Mustang’s career came from the bastard.” Havoc flicked the ashes from his cigarette onto the ground. “Let’s get inside and stop standing out here gossiping like teenage girls.”

“Archer is a son of a bitch.”

“Couldn’t agree more.”