Chimera

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Cooking

Roy wandered the kitchen, opening drawers and cupboards, getting a feel for it. "Alright, what would you like? Maybe a sandwich and then we’ll start supper." Yellow eyes watched him from the door. The blond slowly followed him in, blinking at the bread slices handed to him. "Here, put a little butter on these." He held the pieces, then took a bite from one. "That one is yours. Hurry up now, I want to start supper." Another bite. "Edward, behave and do as I tell you. Spread the butter lightly and I’ll grill it for you." With the behavior he’d seen, he knew very well that after years of obvious spoiling he would have to put his foot down and be firm until Ed relearned how to control his instincts. The younger man tilted his head, then reached over and used the knife Roy had gotten out to spread a little butter on the nibbled piece. "Thank you, bring it over here when you’re finished." At least he still responded to authority.

The older man proceeded to heat the pan and cut some cheese. When the slightly mangled bread appeared by his hand, he smiled and thanked the blond alchemist before placing them in the pan with cheese on top. "No!" The blond tried to reach into the pan to save his bread and got his hand smacked lightly.

"No, Edward, it’s hot. Don’t touch it. Let it cook, you’ll like it." Ed glared at him and tried to stalk off but ran into Al at the door. The younger blond had been watching and didn’t let him leave. "Let him go, Al. Don’t force him to do things unless it’s necessary." The tail flicked in annoyance and the young man stomped off. "You just have to be firm and pick your battles. It doesn’t hurt anything for him to go off and think about it for a few minutes." The oldest alchemist moved around the kitchen, setting up pots for pasta and sauce and another pan for chicken.

"How do you keep him from attacking? You hit him but he didn’t do anything back." Al had come into the kitchen and was helping set out ingredients and set the table for later.

"I didn’t hit him, he was disciplined. You have to make him understand that he was wrong and why. He understands what you tell him, you just have to be clear in what you expect from him. The old habits seem to be intact, you just have to learn them. For example, he rarely bites, right? And, probably pulls his attacks." Al nodded slowly, after the first few months, it had gotten easier to beat him when he attacked, and biting hadn’t happened since he woke up. "Those are habits you and I ingrained into him before. And leaving when he’s upset is another, he goes off to calm down, and if you leave him alone, he’ll come back in a few minutes." He flipped the sandwiches to a plate and set them on the table. "Ed! Snack is ready."

Silence for a minute, then soft steps could be heard in the hall. Roy sat at the table and pulled up a chair beside him. He patted the seat and Ed narrowed his eyes but slunk a bit closer. A little more and he sat on the edge, ready to bolt. "Here, have a piece." A corner of cheese covered bread was held out and a slim hand reached over and took it, carefully avoiding contact. He glared at it for a second, then moved to put it down. “That’s all there is, nothing else.” The black eye locked with yellow as the bite disappeared. Pink lips opened for more and Roy was allowed to feed him a bite, careful to keep his fingers clear. The blond shuffled closer and ate quickly, devouring both sandwiches. "That’s all. Time to make supper. Want to help me?"

"I don’t think he should. It’s dangerous in the kitchen." Al spoke up; Roy had forgotten about him in the wonder of feeding Ed again.

"It’s up to him. Do you want to help? I’d like it if you did." The older man tried to encourage him to make his own choice and to help do little things. Al tried to protest again but was waved silent.

Gold ears pointed forward then turned between them. White teeth worried the full bottom lip before he decided. "Help." Roy smiled broadly at him.

"Please put the dish in the sink then we’ll start." Ed blinked at the dish on the table, then looked at Al, who immediately moved to get it. "No, you do it. Al is not your maid." Confused yellow eyes stared at him and Roy waved him on. The plate was picked up and carried to the sink to be placed gently in. "Good. Why don’t you break these apart?" He held out a bag of frozen peas.

"No. Yuck." The blond folded his arms and turned away.

"Edward, you need to eat vegetables. Some vegetables are required at every meal; that’s the rule. Would you like a different kind?" The blond head shook and he was glared at. "Come on, you’ll like this job, you get to hit them and break them into little pieces." He placed the bag on the counter and turned away to cut the chicken. A second later, energetic banging filled the kitchen. When he turned around again, peas were everywhere. He sighed. "Pick them up, please. Now we need to wash them and you don’t like water do you?"

He started collecting peas from the counter and placed them in a bowl, Ed adding the ones from the floor one by one. Roy left him to finish and started the carrots, chopping them into small pieces. Hair brushed his shoulder and Ed peeked around his arm to watch the knife flash. "Are you finished?" Nod. "Here, cut them carefully, one at a time." He supervised until a steady rhythm was established and went to wash the peas off. Once finished, he collected the slightly uneven carrots and started them cooking.

"Let’s start the sauce. Half a teaspoon of salt and half of pepper, please." Everything was mixed in and set on the stove to heat, Ed stirring slowly. His eyes were wide, interested in everything, even watching the vegetables boil. The pasta and chicken were started and Roy pretended to look the other way so the blond could have some chicken and burn his mouth. "I told you to wait and not touch. Have some water." Grabbing motions were made towards the cupboard. "You can reach, get it yourself." If he wasn’t going to be there long, he had to teach fast. A few more attempts to get Roy to help him and the young man gave up, reaching on his tiptoes to get a glass and filled it with water to sooth his mouth.

Al stood from where he’d been sitting at the table, watching the performance. "I’ll set the table and call Russell and Fletcher. Is there anything else you would like help with?"

"Edward, why don’t you go call the boys for supper? Thank you." Ed stood in the door, making certain he wouldn’t miss anything interesting before wandering off with his glass. "Al, everything is too high for him here. You should put things he needs lower, so he can do stuff for himself. He could barely reach that glass and the plates are way out of his reach."

"Well, we didn’t want him wrecking them or dropping things, so we moved them out of reach. Usually he’ll just wait for food or a drink."

Roy turned to face him, "And now he’s spoiled. You boys need to be firm with him, don’t let him get away with things like not cleaning up. He is perfectly able, as you saw, and used to like being involved. Making him feel useless or helpless will only make his attitude worse and life gets harder for all of you." He lifted the pots off the stove and drained the pasta before putting it in a bowl. "How about dessert? Is there any fruit?"

Ed wandered back in, without his glass, in time to hear, "Yes, some apples and a few oranges should be around." His eyes lit up and he bounced over to the pantry and dug in a shelf. A basket of apples, oranges, and peaches appeared. "Oh, thank you, Brother." An orange was held out and Al took it and started to peel when he met Roy’s eyes. "No, Brother, after dinner." Ed stamped his foot and made impatient sounds. "No, dinner first, then dessert." Eyes narrowed and Ed growled softly.

Roy intervened. "Edward, behave. Supper, with vegetables, then fruit. Maybe, if you’re very nice, Al will peel it for you." Ears flicked at him and the gold tail whipped back and forth in annoyance but he sat and glared at his plate. The bowl of pasta was placed on the table and the glass in front of Ed’s plate removed. "Go get your other glass."

"No." Muscular arms crossed.

"As you like. Nothing to drink then." Roy continued setting the table, ignoring the heated glare on his back. Russell and Fletcher appeared in the door and were waved in to sit. They sat gingerly, shooting sidelong glances at Ed. He rarely ate with them and never in the kitchen. The oldest blond ignored them, too busy glaring at Roy to be bothered. The bowls were passed around and Roy wouldn’t let anyone help him, forcing him to take what he wanted or go hungry. Finally, everyone was served and started eating, taking their clues from Roy and ignoring the stubbornly glaring blond. Eventually, he stood and jogged off to wander the house. Al was waved back from following him and within minutes he was back, his glass in hand. It was filled with water as soon as he set it down.

Halfway through the meal, Roy leaned over and picked a forkful of pasta off his plate. Ed immediately attacked with his own fork, pinning the offender down. "If you won’t eat it, I will." Restless ears flickered, then pressed back a little. "Are you going to eat? You don’t need to be fed like a little child." A low growl vibrated, then stopped. The blond head nodded sharply and the thieving fork was pulled back. He attacked his food, eating quickly and watching to prevent any further stealing.

The other blonds relaxed around him and Roy continued his meal at a leisurely pace. After finishing, everyone cleared his own place, Ed included. He was in a much better mood after a quiet meal. All the vegetables had disappeared, so Roy approved dessert. Al peeled an orange and broke it into chunks, offering the juice on his hands. Ed licked it off quickly, purring, before nibbling on the slices. Juice ran down his hands and he licked it off, laughing to himself. Roy stared, jealous and aroused and thoroughly ashamed of himself for it.

The evening was quiet, three blonds and a brunette reading and Ed roaming the house, popping in and out of the living room. While Roy read, he found a blond head pressed against his leg. He looked down, then invited the boy to sit with him. The solid body worked its way onto the arm of his chair and he leaned over to get his back rubbed. So far that he over-balanced and fell into Roy’s lap. He flailed and scrambled to get away. Roy protected himself from flying limbs but didn’t try to stop him and once he was free, he calmed and returned to sit across the blue clad legs. His back was rubbed until he lay back and his stomach was scratched instead. Deep purring signaled his relaxation and pleasure, eventually turning to soft snores. Roy smiled down at him and ran a hand through the soft hair.

A noise made him look up to see all three blonds staring. "He never does that, he doesn’t like others near him, never mind touching him when he’s asleep. It’s amazing, he’s been so calm and relaxed, this is the best he’s been since we came here."

"Patience. He’s not helpless, he’s very capable and can almost care for himself. I don’t know if his attention span has increased," Three heads shook and three grins flashed, "Apparently not. Then, he needs supervision for things like cooking, but he can help. You’ll have to rearrange the kitchen for him. Does he have any puzzles or games? They help him focus and give him something to do by himself."

"A few, he won’t tolerate cats of any kind. He has a radio he likes, plays it at night a lot. We tried to get him a stuffed toy to use as a pillow but he ripped it up. He has a few sets of cards he enjoys, mostly just nonsense games we don’t understand and can’t play with him much." They looked at each other, "And he likes to doodle, lots of arrays and weird ideas. He can’t do alchemy when he’s changed, but he likes to play with it."

An eyebrow rose, "No alchemy? That’s odd, he used to do basic stuff. Have you ever tested him or did he just not do any?" They shrugged. "We’ll see if he feels like it later. I think it’s time to get him to bed. Where is his room?" The second youngest blond led the way, showing him a large room with wide windows. It was messy but reasonably clean, obviously Al’s doing. Roy grunted as he lifted the boy a bit to drop him on the bed and sat panting beside him. Fletcher helped him get the shirt off and wipe his hands and face with a damp cloth.

Roy moved over to the window to open it but it was sealed shut. He turned but Fletcher answered his question before his mouth opened. "He tries to go outside alone sometimes. He just uses alchemy to open it when he’s normal and we close it when he changes." A slim hand rose to dark hair; the boy was virtually a prisoner in his own home.

"Let’s go. He’ll be alright alone for a while." He led the way briskly to the living room. "Well. You need to tell me everything, his habits, his discipline, chores, things he is and isn’t allowed to do, everything."

"Why should we? You obviously think we’ve done a poor job with him, why don’t you tell us?" Russell glared and folded his arms.

"Because, as poor a job as you’ve done, it’s been done and he’s accepted it. From here, we need to show him things he can do and let him do them. You saw at supper. When is the last time you had a quiet supper that he helped with and behaved properly for?" Guilty looks went around the room. "He is capable but you have to allow him to be part of your family, even during his changes. Especially then. Freedom is important, let him make choices. Sealing his window and putting things up high are not the answer. Now, tell me so we can decide what needs changing and what can stay the same."

"Well, he’s not allowed outside or to handle delicate things. We don’t let him cook or have sharp things. He usually stays in his room and Al and Fletcher take him food. We just leave him alone, it’s easier and less stressful." Russell glared, justifying their actions.

"Chores?"

"Not to make a mess, really. Not be loud or a pest. Be nice to us." Fletcher answered him quietly, looking at his hands.

"Discipline?"

"Umm, nothing really. We just tell him he was bad and he goes off by himself for a bit." Al’s foot shuffled in a circular pattern on the wood.

Roy sighed, "Any habits? He doesn’t bite, fights rarely, and goes off to be by himself when you yell at him. Anything else?"

"Umm, sometimes he remembers things, like the fire snapping thing and that toy you mentioned. He just repeats it until it goes away. Pacing, he walks a lot around the house. No milk, no vegetables, just peeled oranges and meat. Oh, and he likes to be read to, listens to the radio often, almost everyday." Al’s foot had stopped moving. "We did a really bad job, didn’t we?"

The Elric guilt rose. Roy headed it off before it got going. "No, you did the best you could with the knowledge you had. I’ll just teach you how to make his life better, as well as yours. He probably feels guilty for making you put up with him, so he’s accepted the limitations, but he doesn’t need them. A firm hand and some discipline will help. Supervision is required, but set, specific, rules will improve everything. I’d like to stay until he changes back, to help out and let him get to know me a little again. Once he’s back, I’ll talk to him and the five of us will decide what should be done." He looked at each boy, "I want to take him home with me but I won’t force it. If he refuses, that’s his decision. I do ask none of you try to influence his decision based on your dislike of the military. He will have nothing to do with it, just me."

The tallest blond glared and stuck his nose in the air, "We’ll see. I think you should stay at a hotel tonight and we can ask him tomorrow."

Al went the other way, "I think you should stay here and you can go tomorrow if Brother wants you to."

"Me too. Sorry Russ, but I think it would be best for tonight." The youngest Tringham shot a quick look at his brother, flinching under his glare. "He can stay in my room."

"No, if he’s staying, he can sleep outside, in the shed. There’s a cot." Fletcher looked like he would continue arguing, but Roy cut him off.

"Fine. I’ll put a note under Ed’s door so he knows where I am. Don’t seal any of the doors so he can come out if he wants to. He won’t leave the property. Al, show me the shed please?" They went out and Roy stopped at the car to grab his bag.