Chimera

Let's see, I'm going to speed it up a little I think, unfortunately, I'm slowing down, and that usually means I'm losing interest. So, instead of abandoning it, I'm gonna finish it up quick. I've liked that song for a while but I never knew who sang it. I find I like a few of their songs. Thanks for reviewing!

Rules

The dark eye fluttered open when the weight on his chest disappeared. “Roy! Roy, are you alright?” Al was kneeling beside him, touching his bruise lightly. “Did he hurt you?” The older man blinked to clear his sight and noticed Ed dangling in Russell’s arms, whining faintly, still half asleep.

“Hmm? Oh, no, it was an accident. No big deal.” Green eyes studied him then the blond head nodded and he waved for Ed to be freed. The blond immediately crawled back onto the couch and curled on Roy’s chest. Pales hands ruffled his hair and he purred happily. “He wouldn’t hurt me, he’s very careful.” Gold hair moved on his chest in a firm nod. His lips kicked up at the corners. “Is Fletcher around?”

“Ah, yes, he’s putting groceries away.”

“Excellent, we need to sit down and discuss house rules.” The two tall blonds glanced at each other, then at Ed. “Let’s go.” Roy pushed the boy off and led him to the kitchen. The five of them sat and the blonds looked at the table. “Well, let’s start with the current rules, alright?”

“Ah, well, like we said, don’t make a mess, be nice, don’t go outside by himself, don’t break anything. That about covers it.”

“Ed? Is that all?” The ears twitched and Roy could feel his tail brushing his thigh. “What else?”

“Quiet, no noise. Not touch. Sleep.”

“Ed, we don’t want you to not touch anything, it’s just delicate things, we don’t want you to break them and hurt yourself on the pieces. And we don’t want you to sleep all the time, just at night. That’s when the no noise rule applies.” Al was on his feet, defending their rules.

“Alright, alright, calm down. No one’s saying they’re bad rules, they’re pretty good ones, really.” Ed looked up at him in betrayal. “However, Ed does not require such restrictive rules. He’s responsible, he can handle things without breaking them. How about if he can touch anything he wants but if an accident happens, he has to ask for help. Fair?”

Al chewed his lip and looked to the other blonds for guidance. They shrugged and Russell offered an amendment. “No touching alchemy, it’s just too dangerous. Some of the experiments aren’t stable and if he can’t do alchemy, he might not have time to get help.” A dark brow raised but he looked to Ed, who nodded.

“Good, one down. Making messes, well Ed, you have to clean up if you do, or ask for help, ok?” A quick nod. “And help, not just ask and wander off.” Another nod. “Good. How about sleeping at night? Can you or are you always up?”

“Awake. Bored.” Yellow eyes were fastened on the table top.

“That’s ok, Ed. How about we set up some games and quiet things in your room? Then, you can play or amuse yourself anyway you want to and not wake anyone else. But, you have to play quietly with them, no banging, radio, or running around, things like that. Sound alright?” The eyes rose to look at his partners and they smiled and nodded, sounded good to them. A slow nod gave his assent. “Alright, but if you can’t behave, things will be taken away. Don’t look at me like that, we need parameters for discipline too, rules are no good without consequences.”

“And, you have to be nice, to everyone. If you don’t want someone around, just say so, don’t attack them, ok? I really hate when you attack Russ.” Fletcher spoke for the first time. “Please?” Silver eyes shot to Roy, “The General says it’s hard for you to have him, and us, around but please try.” Red rose in Ed’s cheeks and he cuddled closer to Roy for support.

“Ed?” The dark head ducked to look at him, “Can you do that? Say something instead of attacking?” Solid shoulders shrugged, accompanied by a small nod. “Alright, we’ll give it a try.” He ruffled the soft hair and tried to think of other rules. “Staying inside is an ok one, maybe you guys can try to make more time to go out with him? What sounds like enough time? An hour a day?”

“Four!” Ed’s head came up and he bounced a bit.

“No, no, Brother, that’s too long. How about one and half? And we’ll try for longer when we can. Is that alright?” The table nodded. “You wanted to talk about moving things lower?” His question was directed at Roy.

“Ah, yes. I’d like to see Ed helping out in the kitchen, it’s a great place with lots of easy tasks that are simple to supervise. I also think he could be more independent, there is no need for you guys to get him a drink or a sandwich. In order for that to happen, dishes, glasses, pots and pans will need to be moved down for him to reach more easily.” The soft tail fluffed a little. “Ed, you can’t reach, that’s all, I can barely reach half that stuff. It should come down a bit.” The two younger boys nodded but Russell had an issue.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for him to be cooking alone. Your attention span is pretty short, Ed. What if you get distracted and walk away from the stove while it’s on?” More red rose and the boy ducked his head under Roy’s arm. “If you want to help in the kitchen, that’s fine, I don’t mind that. I just don’t want you to be in there by yourself.”

“Maybe Brother can agree to only make things without heat or knives. I don’t think he should be playing with knives either; you never tell anyone if you’re hurt, Ed, and I don’t want you to be injured and us not know about it.” He grinned at the indignant sniff. “You know you do it. What do you think? Sound alright?” A brow arched at the entire table and was met with thoughtful nods all around.

“Good, anything else?” Blond heads shook. “Alright, I think it’s time for lunch, don’t you? Who’s cooking today?” Fingers pointed at Russell. “Russell, why don’t you ask Ed to help you?”

“Ah, sure. Edward, would you like to assist me with lunch? I think we’ll have soup and tuna sandwiches.” Perked ears twitched but the blond head shook quickly. “Oh, well then, Fletcher?”

The younger blond laughed, “Nope, I helped you last time.” His brother flushed and turned away to start cooking. The rest of the household chatted at the table until Ed stood and bounced over to grab the bread. He brought it back and thrust it at Roy.

“Brother, give that back to Russ, he needs it.” It was shoved at the brunette again.

“Ed, please put it back. Lunch will be ready in a few minutes, you can wait. The longer you keep him from finishing, the longer it takes.” Faint whining started. “Ed, either help or don’t but don’t be a pain.” Attitude changed like mercury, from playful and slightly bratty to nasty in seconds. Growling and flattened ears made Roy stand. “Edward, that behavior is not allowed. Go to your room until you can be nice.”

“Make me.” His arms crossed and the pert nose stuck in the air. Roy moved forward to do just that but Al beat him to it.

He and Fletcher stood. “Brother, do as he says. You aren’t being nice so go to your room.” The gold head shook and Al sighed. “Alright, have it your way.” A faint smirk started on Ed’s face until his brother grabbed him, pining his arms at his sides, and carried him down the hall. Fletcher ran ahead and opened the doors. Ed was dumped on his bed and the door was closed firmly. He banged on it a few times but didn’t try to open it.

Al and Fletcher returned to the kitchen in a daze. “He’s gonna kill us. When he gets out of there, he’s gonna spaz.” Fletcher just stared at the table, shocked at their boldness. Russell focused on the soup, as shocked as the others but determined not to show it.

“No, he won’t. He was wrong and he knows it. He’ll be much more likely to behave now that he knows you’re serious. It’s good that you punished him, not just me. I can’t be the only authority figure.” Roy was moving around the kitchen, setting the table, cutting bread, just helping in general. The others eventually stood and helped as well.

Roy knocked gently o the door. He’d been voted least likely to die and was in charge of retrieving the cat-boy from his room. “Ed? Lunch is ready, are you hungry?” Something hit the door with a thump. “I’m coming in, don’t throw anything at me, please.” Not a sound. He opened the door cautiously and stepped in. Ed was snuffling in the blankets on the bed, burrowing himself a nest. Roy walked over to stand beside him and look down. “Do you want to come out yet?” A little negative noise drifted out. A space was made for Roy to sit and he took the invitation, rubbing his hand over the blanket covered head. “Want to tell me what happened? You were extremely unpleasant out there.”

The blond head poked out and yellow eyes glared up at him. “Want help.” He sniffled a bit. “Think stupid.” Roy frowned a little, not sure who was stupid. “Others. Me.” Pale fingers threaded through the soft hair.

“No, Ed, nobody thinks you’re stupid. We want you to be happy, that’s what rules are for. Don’t you like the rules? I thought you were alright with them.” He lay down so their faces were close. Ed nodded and cuddled closer. “Well, if you don’t mind the rules, what’s wrong? Was it Russell?” The solid body twitched at the mention of the younger boy. ‘Uh huh, thought so.’ “It’s ok that you didn’t want to help him. I know he’s hard to deal with. I didn’t realize you wanted to help me. It’s alright to only want to help certain people, that’s fine, but you need to tell us things, ok? We’re still learning too, we can’t read your mind.” A faint smile passed his lips and Ed snuffled against his chest, his own smile pressing against the soft shirt. “Ready to go out now? The boys are quite upset, you should at least go see them and let them know you aren’t angry with them.”

Ed shook his head, “Eat here?”

“Why don’t we go have soup in the kitchen and if you still want to come back, we’ll bring sandwiches in here. That sound alright?” Ed’s hands curled in his shirt but he nodded. “Let’s stay here a little bit, then we can eat. I bet your starving, haven’t eaten anything other than those sandwiches this morning.” Soft ears twitched and Roy found his hand hovering before he yanked it back. “Sorry.”

“Why?” Curious eyes peeked up at him and the ears twitched again.

“You don’t like it, that’s why. I never want to do things you don’t like, unless it is completely unavoidable. You know that, right?”

“Yes.” Soft ears pointed at him again. “Strange.”

Dark hair bobbed as he laughed, “Yes, I imagine it does feel strange. Especially if you don’t like the person doing it.” He couldn’t even imagine having a spot that, when touched by anyone, turned him on instantly. Ed just hummed against his throat. A few minutes later, Roy rolled himself up to sit. “Ready?” The blond reluctantly sat up and followed him to the door.

Lunch was long eaten, but the other three were still sitting in the kitchen when the pair appeared. They had been chatting but stopped and watched them take their seats. Ed didn’t look at anyone but started the soup Roy set in front of him immediately.

“Um, Ed? We, ah, were going to the lake today. Did you want to come?” Fletcher made the offer and Al was quick to back it up.

“Yeah, I’m making a snack to take and we can spend the rest of the afternoon there.” They watched him with hope. Russell sat quietly, not looking at them.

“I’m not going, so you can go if you want to.” His cheeks were red and he continued looking out the window. He waved Fletcher off when he started to protest. “I have some work to do.”

“No. Stay.” He peeked up quickly. “Help?” The tallest boy’s head whipped around.

“You want to help me?” His mouth worked a bit, “Ah, sure, you can draw, if you want.” He looked pleased and started clearing the table of the few dishes on it. The younger blonds turned their focus to Roy, who shook his head.

“No, thank you, I’ll stay here. I could use a break really.” He grinned playfully, “Not as young as I used to be, I’m afraid.” They smiled back at him and started planning their trip. ‘And, I’ll just stay here and make sure nothing goes wrong.’

An hour later, the younger brothers were gone and Russell was locked in his lab. Ed sat outside, kicking his heels every so often. Roy sat with him a bit, then went in. When he checked later, both boys were inside, cleaning up the experiments Russell had deemed too dangerous for anyone’s help. They stayed away from each other, clearing their own area, and everything seemed fine. He joined them to draw arrays, Ed and his partner making their own and Roy copying old ones to sell. A snap drew his attention. Ed’s hand was shaking and his pencil had broken in half. His gaze was trained on Russell, his eyes narrowed, and he was panting faintly.

The oldest Tringham looked up and pushed his chair back. “Ed? Are you ok?” A faint growl made him back away more, his hands spread to show they were empty. He licked his lips, “Calm down, Ed. I’m not near you, you can go if you want.” The smaller blond’s body twitched but he stayed seated, staring. Finally, his eyes moved to the table and he pushed off and wandered out the door. Once the door had closed behind him, Russell’s head dropped to his chest and he sighed with relief. “I thought he was going to come after me for sure.”

“No, he was ok, in control. You did the right thing, backing off like that.” Roy continued drawing the complex circles and forms.

“Yeah, I usually get away from him and let the boys take him down if they need to.” He shrugged. “I guess we didn’t realize how hard it was for him. We just thought he didn’t like me, we aren’t the best of friends, you know.” He laughed at himself a bit.

“It’ll get better, he’s more in control, of himself and his life. You guys are going to be fine.” The blond smiled at him and nodded. The older alchemist finished and rose. “I’m going after him. He’ll have calmed down a little. I’m glad you let him help, he really does want to spend time with you, all of you.”

“Yeah, I know. Just takes time, I suppose.” A faint smile met Roy’s before the older man turned to go after his blond.

He found him sulking in the living room, randomly moving his cards around. “Hey.” No response. “Not yet, huh? Alright, can I sit and read? You can visit when you want to.” A short nod and he grabbed his book and sat. A few chapters in, he was startled to find the blond sprawled across the back of the chair, reading over his shoulder. “Oh, didn’t see you. Feel better?” Gentle purring started and he ran his hand over the soft head. “Come sit with me?” The boy rolled down the side of the chair and lay across his legs. “You did a good job. What would you like as a reward?”

Sleepy eyes opened and blinked at him in surprise. He shrugged and cuddled. Roy grinned, that was so Ed; surprise when offered a treat and not sure what to ask for. ‘Maybe I should just pick something, like I used to?’ “How about something special for supper? You can help me and pick anything you want to.”

His breath caught when the eyes opened again; the relaxed happiness he’d so rarely seen, even before, made him melt. He couldn’t resist pressing his forehead to the smooth one in his lap and hugging gently. He was hugged back and a smooth hand ran through his hair. Strong fingers caught in the string holding his patch and he jerked back. The string tangled and confused eyes looked up at him, taking in the scars he tried to cover with his hand.

“Roy?” His wrist was held and pulled from his face with the strong auto-mail; no matter how hard he resisted, it was pulled away.

“Ed, please, don’t. Just give it back, ok?” He was blinked at but the patch was handed back obediently.

“Why?” The boy had shifted around to sit straddling him and watched as he put the black cloth back.

“It’s a reminder of my own weakness.” He tied it up and fluffed his bangs before meeting Ed’s eyes. They watched him with interest and curiosity.

A small hand reached out and petted it lightly, skimming around the edges. His eye closed he leaned up a bit; it was so wonderful to be touched again, it didn’t matter where or how. He didn’t think the thrill of having this touch again would ever fade. “Not weak. Strong.” Clever fingers ran along the edge and followed the string behind his head to play with the knot. Roy lifted his hand to stop him from untying it but it was unnecessary, the hands moved around to cup his face. “Roy. Protect.” Soft lips landed on his nose and stole his heart again.

He wrapped his arms around him tightly and hugged, holding him while he cried. Ed rubbed his cheek against the dark head pressed to his shoulder and cradled the man who cried and babbled his love for him. His eyes opened and looked up to see Al standing in the door, Russell and Fletcher behind him, watching. A tilt of the head, and they backed out, leaving them alone.