Trials Vol.2: The Gray Sky\'s Revenge

A/N: I don’t own FMA. This chapter is short, I know. If you eat your potatoes though, I\'ll give you a nice, cool, tall glass of LEMONade. Tee hee.

~~~~~~~~~~Eleven Years Ago~~~~~~~~~

“So have you heard anything from Evergreen this week?” Ed sat down at the kitchen table and stared at his brother. Al’s emotionless red eyes met his brother’s and he shook his head. Evergreen had went from calling him on a daily basis to barely none in the past year since she left Central, vowing to restore Al’s body. Though it was unsaid between them, Al guessed that Ed was thinking Evergreen didn’t call because she had no positive news on the search for either a whole Philosopher’s Stone or any of the necessary components.

Ed gave Al a reassuring look and patted the cold armor on his arm. Cori walked into the kitchen and offered Al her favorite coloring book.

“Daddy said to daddy last night that you were sad, so I’ll let you have my Wibbles book. Cil tried to rip it up but I punched him in the head,” Cori stated proudly. Al looked at his cherubed niece and wanted so desperately to feel her warmth and smell her hair. The twins’ kindergarten teacher (who happened to be Ramona) constantly gushed on and on about how smart and perceptive the children were. She attributed their smarts to the fact they were developing atleast five times faster than any other children of their age. Of course, Roy stuck out his chest and took all the credit, claiming that the Mustang family was known for its geniuses; and that even if the twins hadn‘t grown as fast as they had that they would still be intelligent. It seemed he had forgotten that the twins’ ‘mother’ was revered as a child alchemist prodigy. Al patted his niece’s silky black strands gently and refused her coloring book. When she pouted, Al explained that if he took her book, then she couldn’t draw anything pretty for him. Placated, Cori ran off to poke Cil in the eye.

“Kids,” Ed mused and chuckled over his cup of water. Al turned back to Ed and nodded toward him. “This marriage and kids thing is really working out for you, no?”

Ed smiled bashfully and looked down at the clear liquid in his cup. For a fleeting moment, he felt ashamed and selfish that his life was coming together so beautifully and Al was still left in that cold, unfeeling armor. Ed was surprised at the metal arm that was approaching his and the firm but gentle squeeze that arm gave him. “Nii-san, don’t feel bad for me. We’ll find the stone and restore my body and then I can have everything you have and then some.” Ed looked up at Al and walked around the table to embrace him. “You’re right,” he whispered. “We’ll restore you good as new. I promise.” They both looked up sharply and ran from the kitchen when they heard a loud crash and one of the twins hysterically screaming.

While Ed and Al were doing damage control, across town, Roy was hysterically screaming himself. Even though it had been almost a year since he and Ed took that week off for their honeymoon, he was still behind on his paperwork! It didn’t matter how early he got there, or how many lunch hours he worked through; he always had huge stacks of paperwork. It seemed like Hawkeye was actually happy that the Colonel was developing carpal tunnel from signing his name on all the documents. Every morning she would greet him with that shit-eating grin of hers and gesture to the precariously wobbling stack of papers on his deck.

Roy grew tired of the endless papers and felt like the job was seriously wearing on him. Actually though, to be six years shy of forty, the man was holding up quite well. And of course having a twenty-year-old lover helped keep the spring in his step as well. Hughes had recently been spotted with a few slivers of gray poking up from his black-green hair. Of course, Hughes denied the hair color change, stating that Elysia painted some of his hair while he was sleeping.

“So how are you doing today?” Hawkeye asked when Roy finished screaming. He glared at her. “Is that supposed to be funny?” he snapped. Hawkeye gave him and equally icy glare. “No, it’s supposed to be me trying to give a shit about you. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.” She picked up some of the files that were completed and started to walk out of the door.

“Riza.” Hawkeye stopped at the door and turned. Roy had a contrite look on his face and held his head down.

“I didn’t mean to flip on you. I just miss Ed and the kids. That’s all.” Hawkeye set the papers down in a chair near the door and walked around Roy’s desk. “Aww, you’re love sick!!” she squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Roy gaped at Riza and shoved her away. “I’m not love sick! That’s for stalkers and losers!” Hawkeye looked at him and burst out laughing. “That is sooo cute! Way to keep the passion flowing!!! Wait till I tell Rush,” she said and reached for the black phone on Roy’s desk.

“TOUCH MY PHONE AND DIE! I AM NOT LOVESICK!!!” Roy screamed. Hawkeye smiled at his outburst and resumed to take the files and mail them out. “Lovesick puppy,” she said at the door and shot Roy a raspberry before giggling and closing the door.

“Bitch!” Roy yelled and threw the pencil sharpener at the door. He rolled his eyes when minute shavings flew all over the entrance to his office. He mumbled and swore to himself as he picked up the small hand broom and dustpan and knelt down to sweep up the shavings. All was well until...

WHAP!

“Roy are you in here?” Hughes said opening the door. Peering behind the door, he saw Roy on the floor spread out. “What the hell are doing on the floor? Sleeping? Dreaming of Edo-chan?” Hughes said, his voice turning smug. Roy sat up and snapped his fingers, setting one of Hughes’s shoes on fire. He frowned when Hughes just stood there with that stupid grin on his face.

“Fireproof.” Hughes smiled at Roy and offered him his hand to help him up. “Did I knock you over when I opened the door?” Roy gave his friend a pointed look. Hughes scratched the back of his head. “Sowwie.”

“So what did you want?” Roy asked in a tired voice, standing up and walking back to his desk. Hughes smiled and placed a file on Roy’s desk.

“More paper work.” Roy said bluntly and glared up at his friend, wanting to ignite the man into flames. “Read the header,” Hughes sang, still grinning.

“Case file 1-659:Midori. Hmmm...Liquor?” Roy questioned. Sneering, Hughes snatched the file and opened it. “We have located Midori and Crystal,” Hughes stressed, “In section fifty-nine.” He pointed at the fuzzy pictures of Evergreen and what appeared to possibly be Dr. Tim Marcoh. Roy’s eyes brightened and he snatched the pictures up and strained to look at them.

“Were they with the Red Pony?” Roy asked, hoping and praying that a glimpse of the Philosopher’s Stone was sighted on them. Hughes sighed and put the file back on Roy’s desk. “I wouldn’t know if they had it or not. But I’m pretty damn sure Midori wouldn’t be fucking with Crystal if the R.P. weren’t around somewhere. I mean, with the family issues and all,” Hughes concluded, rubbing his goatee.

Roy sat back in his chair and began to spin around. He did that to focus his concentration. He knew from talks with Ed after lovemaking that Al and Evergreen had not spoken for awhile. He would find Al sitting outside, listless, oblivious, and distant. It wasn’t his place to ask Al, but sometimes he would join his brother-in-law on the steps of the deck outside and just sit and watch the sky silently with him. It was time he used to bond with Al, and recently began calling him ‘Ototo.’ Still, even with their ever-growing closeness, he felt inept and incapable of feeling Al’s desires and pains.

“There’s not much we can do I guess,” Roy said after spinning for a few moments. Hughes gave him an understanding look and sighed. “I faxed a copy of the files to your home, so that copy you can dispose of. Or rather, I suggest you dispose of. Remember, Flame, not everyone likes you.” Hughes flashed a smile and laughed when Roy flipped him off. Chuckling, Hughes walked out of Roy’s office, not noticing the man crouched over in the corner, listening to their conversation.

“Note to self: Find out who Crystal is and what a Red Pony is,” Archer whispered into his tape recorder. Satisfied with the daily ease droppings, he walked down the hall, tripping and nearly falling over a snag in the carpet, causing Maria and a few other solders to laugh at him and contemplate what a loser is he was.

“Daddy’s home!” Roy cried out and paused when he didn’t hear tiny footsteps. The tiny footsteps he eventually heard were Ed’s, but he was hoping for the twins. Ed walked up to him slowly and stood face to chest with him, staring at the shiny gold buttons on his husband’s jacket. Ed silently unbuttoned the blue jacket and wrapped his arms around Roy’s waist underneath the jacket and placed his forehead on the soft white cotton tee that was now revealed. Roy smiled and hugged Ed back, burying his nose in Ed’s hair, which smelled of raspberries and apples.

“Did you miss me today, koi?” Roy asked in a seductive voice. His face contorted in to one of pain and he pushed Ed away after the boy pinched his belly button. He looked down to see Ed frowning at him. “Not everything is about you, asshole. Al and I got your stupid fax and he saw the pics of Tim and Evergreen.”

SHITFUCKDAMNITALLTOHELLMOTHERFUCKINGHUGHESI’LLKILLYOUYOUBASTARDI
SWEARTOFRIGGINGODHOWDUMBCOULDWEHAVEBEENTOFAXITTOMYHOUSEWHENEDANDALWEREHERE!!!!!!!! Roy’s mind raced. Trying to cover up, he smiled slightly at Ed and shrugged.

“Oops.”

Roy rubbed the lump on his head where Ed punched him.

“I’ll assume you and Maes meant well. Still, you need to apologize to him. If you apologize soon, I’ll give you a yummy treat. Besides, you know I can\'t fuck when Al is unhappy!” Ed called over his shoulder as he walked away. Roy stared at the rounded ass jiggling in black leather and sighed. Just how and when did he become so whipped by the Fullmetal Alchemist? Grumbling, Roy set out to find Al and apologize for the Freudian slip, so he could \'get some\' from Ed later on that night.


>Sadness! Despair! I just saw ep. 25....My poor baby Maes....*pours out a 40.oz for Maes* I\'m so hurt, even though I knew it was gonna happen. I think next chappie will be angst and lemon perhaps. Thanks for the reviews, and if somehow you\'ve made it this far and didnt read Vol 1, DO NOT PASS GO AND KEEP READING. Read Vol 1. and youll understand things better; ie, the red pony and crystal. Thanks for the reviews, flames, death threats, ect.