Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Descent ❯ Departure ( Chapter 26 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: ZaKai

Descent

Chapter Twenty-Six

Departure

The sound of a phone ringing penetrated the darkness and brought Roy into consciousness.

Phone...?

Blindly, he reached behind him to grab the receiver. When his hand met only air, Roy turned more. Losing his balance, he fell to the floor with a thud.

Groaning, the colonel peeled his eyes open and stared irritably at the couch. Why was he sleeping on the couch…?

Suddenly, he realized the phone was still ringing and he pushed himself off the floor and scrambled into his bedroom. Picking up the phone, he said, “Mustang.”

“Where are you?” said the voice on the other line.

“Ah… lieutenant…” Shit... “What do I owe the pleasure of hearing your lovely voice this fine…” He looked over at the calendar. “Sunday morning?” Why the hell was the woman calling him on a Sunday?

There was a sound of exasperation then, “Sir… we were supposed to be going over the information you and Edward collected yesterday.”

His eyebrows knit together in confusion. Information...? Then it hit him. Fuery… the investigation…

Edward.

His head whipped around, but when his eyes fell on the bed, he saw it was empty.

Roy felt a sinking feeling in his chest and when Hawkeye asked, “Sir,” to his long pause, he could only mumble that he'd be in as soon as possible. Hanging up the phone, Roy sat slowly on the bed and ran a finger over the pillow Ed normally used.

It was cold… which meant that the teen hadn't been in the bed any time recently…

Roy's mind replayed what he could remember of last night's events and he felt regret wash over him. His head hurt and without thinking, he opened one of the drawers on the night stand, pulled out a small bottle and took a drink.

The liquid burned at his throat, but he didn't care. It was the result that mattered. He held the glass container up, shook it slightly, and found an odd sense of satisfaction at watching the amber liquid slosh around inside. Still holding the bottle up, Roy dug his watch out and checked the time.

He cringed.

No wonder Hawkeye had sounded irritated…

Sighing, he took one last drink and tucked the bottle away in the drawer before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

He just felt like brushing his teeth…

It didn't have anything to do with the fact that Hawkeye would give him `that look' if she smelled alcohol on his breath…

Despite what Ed had seemed to be implying last night, he did not have a problem…

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

“What about this?” Lieutenant Hawkeye asked, shoving another paper under his nose.

Roy took it and scanned the words, then compared it to a few other documents.

“No… that doesn't match up either…” He sighed. “This isn't really getting us anywhere, is it?”

The blonde woman shook her head. Grabbing a folder, she walked over to one of the couches and sat down heavily. “Sir… with all due respect, I think that…” but cut off when the door opened and Ed walked into the room.

“Doesn't a closed door mean anything to you?” Roy said automatically, then cringed inwardly. This was an ongoing debate between the two, but it just seemed out of place considering what had happened last night.

“Nope,” Ed said smoothly, but he wasn't looking at him; he was looking at Hawkeye. “Sorry for barging in, I just have some business to go over with the bastard in charge, then I'll be out of here.”

Roy felt a twinge of irritation. Ed was apologizing to her. He never apologized to him for interrupting…

She gazed at the teen for a moment before standing up and saying, “I need some coffee. You two talk, I'll be back soon.”

After she left, an uncomfortable silence filled the office. Roy wasn't sure what he should say. He hadn't expected to talk with Ed until that night, but here he was, dressed in his sexy as hell uniform no less, and Roy wasn't sure what he should say.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the choice was taken from him as Ed walked over and handed him a folder. The colonel looked up at him in confusion, then hesitantly took it. He opened it and as his eyes scanned the few documents inside, a lump formed in his throat and his heart seemed to sink into his stomach.

“You're leaving?” he croaked.

“I need to get my leg extended that other half inch,” Ed replied vaguely.

Roy looked over the papers again and said, “But not to Rizembool.”

It wasn't a question.

“That's right. I know a good mechanic in Rush Valley that will be able to do the job just fine,” the teen replied shortly.

“That's a long way to go just to have your automail extended. You could get that done here.” The colonel looked up, but Ed glanced away, not wanting to meet his eyes.

“Ed…” Roy began hesitantly, but the blond cut him off.

“Just sign the fucking papers,” the younger alchemist said with a tremble in his voice.

“Ed… let's talk,” Roy tried again.

Angrily, Ed turned his gaze toward the colonel and said, “There's nothing to talk about. I have to get this done, and I don't want to go to just anyone. If you don't sign the damn papers, I'll sign them myself. No one would be able to tell the difference.”

“I wouldn't advise doing that. There are laws against forgery.”

For a moment, Ed only stared incredulously at him, then he said, “You have got to be shitting me! You hypocritical bastard! Maybe I should have a nice long chat with Hakuro about how all that paper work got done a couple of weekends ago.”

Roy frowned. What he really wanted to do was argue the point, but of course Ed was right… Besides, he didn't want the teen to leave on a bad note, so he said, “Fine, I'll sign them, but let's talk first…”

The blond grabbed a pen from the desk and shoved it towards him. “Now!” he growled.

Sighing, Roy took the pen and scribbled his signature on both of the release forms, then handed the folder back.

“Ed…” he began, but the younger alchemist was already crossing the room. “Just wait a mome…” But it was too late. Ed was already out the door and shutting it behind him.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Ed stormed down the hallway, causing unsuspecting army personnel to jump out of his way.

Bastard... he thought angrily.

The man had been so nice and pleasant, but of course he'd been nice and pleasant. They'd been in the office, and he wasn't fucking drunk. He was actually being a little unfair in his thought process. Mustang hadn't exactly been drunk last night when they'd fought, but that was a small oversight in Ed's mind.

“Edward,” a female voice called.

He stopped and looked around. Lieutenant Hawkeye was walking toward him holding two styrofoam cups, filled with coffee he presumed.

“Lieutenant…” he said unhappily, certain he was about to be scolded for his `rude behavior' earlier.

Instead, she handed him one of the cups and said, “It's a rather nice afternoon. I need a break from the office. Would you mind accompanying me outside?”

He looked down at the cup, then back up at her in confusion. Was this some sort of joke? Normally, a conversation between him and Hawkeye went something like:

“Edward…”

“I didn't do it.”

“You need to be more respectful.”

“Why?”

“You need to turn in your report.”

“Yes ma'am.”

Well… generally that's how things went.

Ed nodded hesitantly. “Okay…”

As he followed her out of the building, the teen wondered if this was the right thing to do… Maybe the formidable lieutenant was just taking him outside so that she could yell at him without disturbing everyone else, or maybe she'd gotten tired of scolding him and decided to just shoot him and hide his body somewhere…

Well, so that was probably a little far fetched, but still… why would she possibly want to talk with him outside if it wasn't something really bad…

She finally decided on a stone bench that was on the outskirts of the parade grounds; the same area that State Alchemist candidates showed off their skills in hopes of being one of the few lucky ones taken on by the military.

It wasn't a large bench, and as he looked at the space that was left after Hawkeye sat down, he realized that he'd need to sit quite close to her to keep from falling off. While he was trying to decide whether or not to stay standing, the blonde woman patted the bench beside her with a small smile.

Reluctantly, Ed sat down and took a sip of his coffee, then looked at the cup in surprise. It was made exactly how he liked it…

“The colonel is very aware of how you like your coffee; therefore, I am too,” she said as if reading his thoughts.

“Huh?”

She shook her head with an amused smile. “No, he didn't come out and say, `Ed likes his coffee this way', but after the two of you started living together he tried it that way a couple of times. It was the comments he made that led me to believe this was how you liked it.”

He frowned. The colonel always complained about how Ed liked his coffee… Turning his head slightly, he studied her closely. The teen supposed he'd always known how observant the lieutenant was, but…

“You know, I wasn't exactly thrilled when I found out you'd become his `roommate'. In fact, I have to admit I was very much against it.” His frown deepened at how she said, `roommate', but he said nothing. “Do you know why?” she asked, and he shook his head.

Sighing, Hawkeye took a sip of her own coffee, before saying, “I've known Roy Mustang for a long time… We served together in the war…” her voice trailed off for a moment, then she continued, “Let's just say I know him pretty well, better than he knows himself I think. I'm very aware of his… preferences… and problems…”

Preferences and problems?

Realization slowly dawned on him and his eyes widened slightly.

She knew.

She knew about him and Roy. That's what she meant by preferences…

“He has a lot of problems, Ed. He's seen, and done more terrible things than I can even imagine. He has many regrets…” She sighed, and gazed into his eyes. “He's seen, and done, much more than you have. Things you don't know about. He knows things that you don't know, and I don't mean about alchemy,” she added quickly when he was about to say something.

“Ed…I know you might not see why having a… roommate… like him would be a problem for you, but besides all the social difficulties you could encounter, emotionally you are at a disadvantage. He has much more experience in life than you do, and his goals are different than yours. He's committed to them. He would do anything to reach them. Anything, Ed.”

She looked away from him and gazed worriedly out over the field. “Sometimes his methods are immoral and unethical, some downright dangerous, but he doesn't care. I'm not saying that he doesn't care about the people close to him, because he does, but some of the things he's willing to do…”

The woman shook her head as if shaking off something unpleasant. “But the major problem is his drinking habits. I'm sure by now you've noticed the unhealthy amount of alcohol he consumes…”

When she looked at him, Ed looked away, unsure what to say.

“Ed…we both know it. Not acknowledging it isn't going to make it go away.”

He sighed and turned his head so that he could look at her. His eyes raked over her serious features for a moment before he nodded.

“He's not going to change. If you think you can change him, you're wrong. He has to want to change, but he can't do that; he can't even admit that he needs to change. The deeper you delve into his personal life, the more ugly it becomes.”

Hawkeye's eyes softened and she gazed sadly at him for a moment before wrapping her arm around his shoulders. “You can do better,” she whispered. “You can find a better roommate than that.”

His eyes stung with unshed tears, and he let himself find comfort in her embrace.

She knew.

She knew about him and Mustang, and she knew about the man's issues… Here was a woman who really knew Roy Mustang, knew him in a way that Ed probably never would, and that hurt. Hurt a lot.

But she was right. Mustang was definitely more experienced than him in a lot of ways. The man had lived a life that Ed would never know, and he had ambitions…

The teen thought of what the colonel had said about him not needing to know. Maybe Mustang was keeping him in the dark about all the important stuff because he thought Ed might botch up his plans… The blond knew he had a history of messing things up…

It hurt to think that he was thought of that way. It wasn't fair. He could be responsible… But all he could think of was all the stupid things he'd done over the years that had only caused trouble.

Sniffling, Ed pulled away, scrubbed roughly at his eyes, then mumbled, “I need a smoke…” before taking one out and lighting it. Surprisingly, Hawkeye didn't object; she simply watched him for a moment with a regretful look on her face.

“You know, outside of work I'm Roy's friend. I'd like to be yours as well,” she said after he put the lighter away.

“Friend?” he asked in surprise.

She nodded with a smile.

“I guess,” the teen said around the cigarette. It was odd to think of her that way…

“If you ever need someone to talk to, I'd be happy to listen. My door is always open for you, alright?” she said.

When he nodded, the blonde woman stood up and said, “Just think about what I said. I need to be getting back.”

As she turned to go, Ed said suddenly, “I'm leaving.”

Hawkeye stopped, but didn't turn back around.

“I'm going to Rush Valley to get my automail adjusted.” He paused for a moment, then said quickly, “Would you watch out for him while I'm gone?”

She turned her head and looked at him for a moment. Her eyes held a gravity that made a chill run up his spine. Finally she said softly, “I'll try, Ed,” before leaving him alone with his thoughts.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Roy looked up when Hawkeye came back into the room with a cup in her hand. As she took a sip, he scowled slightly and said grumpily, “You could have gotten me some coffee too while you were at it.”

He couldn't have imagined a worse day. Here he was, at work, on a Sunday, while one of his subordinates was in intensive care, and another of his subordinates, who just happened to be his lover as well, was still mad at him from a fight they'd had last night and was now going to leave for a couple of weeks to do something that could be done here, just to avoid him.

He knew full well that's why Ed was doing it.

Damn him…

“I didn't see any reason to get you coffee,” the blonde woman responded.

“And why not?” he asked irritably.

“Because you're going home, that's why.”

Roy blinked.

He was going home?

“There isn't much more that can be done today anyway. We really should just call it a day,” she said, leaving the option open for him to get the hell out of there. Of course she did that. As much as it seemed that she ordered him around, they both knew full well that he had the last say in everything.

“Well, if you're sure…” he said, not wanting to seem too eager to leave. Maybe he'd still be able to catch Ed before he left to the train station…

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Ed closed the lid on the suitcase, snapped the latches tightly in place and looked at it. Not his suitcase, he'd left his in Rizembool when he'd run off, but the colonel's suitcase. He wouldn't miss it. Not like he traveled all that much anyway…

The teen sighed. How long had it been since he'd used a suitcase? Six weeks? No… that's how long it had been since he left Rizembool. Nine weeks. It had been nine weeks because he'd been in Rizembool for three weeks… It was strange to think of it. Him and Al had always traveled so much. To stay in one place for so long was almost unthinkable…

But now he was going.

He was leaving…

The teen let his gaze wander around the bedroom.

Roy's bedroom…

Even though Ed had been sleeping there, it really wasn't his room. Everything about the bedroom screamed `Roy Mustang'. There was nothing here that said `Edward Elric'. Well, except maybe his red coat that was hanging from the corner of one of the book cases. He still fit in it, but uncomfortably so. Even then, he was hesitant to get rid of it. One of the few material things he was actually attached to.

Well… he didn't have room in the suitcase, so he'd have to leave it here. It wasn't his first preference because he wasn't sure if he'd be coming back here to live, but it was what had to be done.

Ed looked down at the suitcase lying on the bed, then hoisted it off the bed. He was just starting out of the bedroom when he heard the front door open and close, then, “Ed?”

He stopped.

Ed hadn't expected the colonel to come home before he left. Cautiously, the blond made his way into the living room, then stopped.

“You're still here,” the man said, sounding relieved.

“Actually, I was just leaving,” Ed said stiffly. He was still upset with the man and really didn't want to talk to him. He wanted to think about what had happened last night, think about what Hawkeye had said today, and think about whether or not he really wanted to stay in a relationship with him. Did they even have a relationship besides sex?

And what about Roy's drinking habits? Hawkeye was right. The colonel really did drink too much... Ed's mind went back to that night and he pushed the fuzzy memory away. What would happen if they continued living together? Was the age difference really that big of a problem? The Lieutenant seemed to think it was... Maybe it was... What about the rank difference? What about all the secrets Roy had that he wouldn't let him in on...?

He had so many questions… and no answers. He hadn't ever really taken the time to think about them, not with what had happened to Al, and then with work and then things just kind of happened, and were… it was just life…

But now…

Now he needed to know; he needed to think.

“Ed, can we at least talk before you go? I don't want you to leave angry.”

“I'm not angry…” he lied, making his way to the door. The anger had seemed to fade during his talk with Hawkeye, but not all of it was gone, and what had left seemed to be replaced with hurt confusion.

The dark haired man grabbed onto his arm. “Please…”

Ed looked up into Roy's dark eyes for a long time before whispering, “I have to go…”

“Please, let's talk. I don't want you to leave before it's settled.”

“Are you going to tell me what's going on?” Ed asked bitterly. He knew it was probably the wrong thing to say, but he couldn't help it.

When the taller man's lips pressed together, the teen shook off Mustang's grip and said, “There's your answer,” before walking out the door.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Roy stared at the closed door for several minutes after Ed left. Then in a whisper he said, “I'm sorry, Ed… but I can't tell you, can't involve you, because…”

Roy let his voice trail off as he walked to the door and rested his forehead against the cool surface.

I want to protect you.

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