Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Roommates ❯ Chapter 1

Roy hated his life. His classes were almost impossibly hard, all of his classmates were jerks, the food at the academy was almost inedible, his room was more like a prison cell, and he loathed his popular roommate. And he didn't have anywhere to go for the holidays.

 

Roy trudged though the snow and wished, not for the first time, that he could just give up and run away. The problem was that he didn't have any where to go. Going home was out of the question. His home life was much worse than the hell he was currently experiencing. Roy sighed and shivered. He hated being cold.

 

Roy glanced up and saw that his room light was on. Great, Hughes was probably having another party. Didn't his dumbass roommate know that it was the weekend before exams? It didn't matter to Roy that it was Saturday night. He had spent the evening in the library studying. Roy hoped that Hughes failed out. He certainly wouldn't be the first guy on their floor to fail out. The guy three doors down left a month after school began. Roy kind of envied the guy for being able to leave and envied his roommate for having the room all to his own.

 

Roy juggled the glass bottle of tea that he had been carrying and his books to find his key card. He knew he had exactly 10 minutes before lights out, so going to his room would be okay. Hughes was an ass, but most of the people on their floor would clear out to keep from getting in trouble with the curfew patrol.

 

Roy's heart fluttered when he couldn't find the key card. He was sure he placed it in his pocket. Panicking, he placed his tea in the snowy stoop and dug through his coat. He sighed when his finger touched the plastic. He would rather die than have to call up to his room and ask for help. Hughes and the rest of the dicks on his floor would never let him live it down.

 

Roy quickly climbed up the stairs to his room, he never trusted the elevator not to break down on him. His wet shoes slipped outside the door that lead to his floor, causing him to almost fall.

 

“…late,” Roy heard his roommate saying. “You guys should clear out.”

 

There was laughter. “Why? Grim giving you grief?” a familiar voice shouted to the delight of the others.

 

“Hey, don't call him that,” Hughes said quickly. “Mustang's a good guy.”

 

“Yea, right,” came another disbelieving voice. “When was the last time that dick thanked you for anything? The extra blankets you got for him? The tea you're always putting on his study carol in the library?”

 

“Yea, Hughes, the guy's a jerk off. Next semester you should room with me.”

 

“Yea, at least then you'll be able to smoke in your room!”

 

“Why would I want to smoke in my room?” Hughes laughed. “Smoking's nasty and makes you smell. Come on, get out before he gets back.”

 

“Whatever, man. The guy probably won't make it past exam week.”

 

“He might surprise you, Reilly. Mustang's a smart guy. Smarter than you,” Hughes laughed.

 

“You're an idiot,” came the joking reply.

 

“I know,” Hughes replied.

 

“By the way, Mom wants to know if you want to come to our house for Christmas.”

 

“Naw, I think I'm going to stay around here. But thank her for me.”

 

“You sure? She makes a mean Christmas dinner.”

 

“Positive. Now you all have to get out!”

 

“Later!”

 

“See you at breakfast!

 

“And don't forget you promised to help me study for calculus tomorrow.”

 

“Hey, what about…”

 

Roy stopped listening, frozen to where he had been standing next to the door. He had no idea that Hughes was the one putting the tea on his study carol. He had thought it strange when the bottles first started showing up, but he didn't think to question it. And the extra blankets also just showed up one day. And he had no idea Hughes thought he was smart or a good guy. Hell, he maybe said a dozen words to the guy since they became roommates 3 months before.

 

The door Roy had been leaning next to suddenly opened bringing Roy face to face with his roommate. Roy flushed and couldn't think of anything to say.

 

Hughes flashed his characteristically goofy smile. “Oh, here you are. I was afraid you lost your door key or something. Lights out in two minutes.” Hughes held the door open.

 

Roy cleared his throat, aware that he should say something, but couldn't figure out what to say. After all, what do you say to a guy you've treated like crap for the last three months only to figure out that he's a really good guy? Roy looked down and noticed Hughes was wearing his coat. “Uh, you going out?” Roy asked, feeling like an idiot.

 

Hughes flushed. “Naw, just looking for my wayward roommate,” he flashed another goofy smile and walked back to their room.

 

Roy followed him, unsure what to say. He put his books down and took off his coat. He followed Hughes into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and washed his face, all the while watching his roommate out of the corner of his eye. If Hughes noticed, he gave no indication.

 

Roy was in bed tucked under the blankets that he now knew Hughes had supplied him with as the curfew patrol opened their door and checked their beds with the flashlights. Roy tossed and turned in his bed, wondering why Hughes had been so nice to him. Roy wondered if Hughes had some nefarious purpose. But that was hardly likely. Hughes had a million friends would had many more resources that he did. Roy fell asleep worrying.

 

 

Roy stared numbly at the rankings board. Through some miracle, he managed to do pretty well, in the top fifteen of his class. What had him shocked however was the top name on the list. Top as in perfect scores was Maes Hughes. His roommate. Roy suddenly felt like a cosmic joke was being played on him. Maes Hughes, of the goofy smile, was the top of his class with perfect scores. No one else even came close.

 

Roy turned and walked back to his dorm. He carefully side stepped all of his classmates as they joyfully made their way home. No one bothered to say anything to him and he didn't bother to say anything to them. He walked up to his room and watched as Hughes bowed out of at least three invitations from his friends. Roy waited until the last one moved from the doorway of his room and walked in, hanging his coat in his closet and walking over to his desk. Hughes looked over from the window where he was waving to some other friends. “Hey, when are your parents getting here?” he asked with a smile. “I can help you pack if you want.”

 

Roy frowned. He was uncomfortable now that the goofy smile was directed at him.

 

“Okay, well, if you want me to leave, just let me know,” Hughes said after a long silence.

 

Another dorm mate knocked on the door and Roy ignored them as Hughes bowed out of the fourth invitation. After the door closed Roy turned around and found Hughes settled on his bed flipping through a magazine. Roy watched him, tension increasing exponentially in the silence. “Why aren't you going home?” Roy asked abruptly.

 

Hughes looked up at him. “This is my home. Well, at least until I graduate.”

 

Roy turned away and wondered how much of an idiot he would seem if he left the room. Then he remembered that everything was closed and he had no where to go.

 

“Are you going home?” Hughes asked easily.

 

Roy looked up. Hughes had bright green eyes that exuded friendliness. Roy turned around and looked at the books on his desk. “No.”

 

“Oh good!” Roy could just hear the smile in Hughes's voice. “I was afraid I'd be by myself.”

 

“Why didn't you accept one of your invitations?”

 

Hughes laughed self consciously. “It would be odd to be with someone else's family when they celebrated Christmas, don't you think?”

 

Roy frowned. “But they're your friends.” He reached out and fingered his books.

 

Hughes shrugged and looked back down at his magazine. “So? I'd still be a stranger to the rest of the family. I wouldn't want to intrude.”

 

Roy got the sudden urge to leave. There was something about the plain honesty of his room mate that touched something inside of him and made him vulnerable. Roy went to his closet and grabbed the door handle. “You don't have to leave, you know.” Hughes said from his bed. “We can take a vow of silence and not speak to each other the entire time if that makes you more comfortable.”

 

Roy turned around, irritated that Hughes was making fun of him.

 

“Or if you want I'll just go live in Marcus's room down the hall. He and Grise gave me their room keys.” Hughes looked up at Roy and Roy realized that Hughes was being serious. “I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in your own room.”

 

“But it's your room too.” Roy said sharply.

 

Hughes shrugged. “It doesn't matter to me. I really don't mind.”

 

Roy stepped away from the closet and sat on the edge of his bed. “Why are you being nice to me?” he asked accusingly.

 

Hughes frowned and tilted his head.

 

“The blankets, the tea, making sure no one smokes in our room, making sure I'm up in the morning, why?” Roy demanded.

 

“Because that's what room mates do for each other,” Hughes said as though it explained everything.

 

“No they don't! I don't do those things for you!”

 

“You're a lot busier than I am.”

 

“How can I be busier than you? We take the same classes!” Roy stood up and paced. “And you're at the top of the class. How do you do it? I never see you study!”

 

“You sleep late,” Hughes sat up and shut the magazine. “I study best in the morning.”

 

“But, you're always up way later than me!”

 

“I don't need as much sleep as you.”

 

“You're always doing things for other people! And you're friends with everyone! Hell, you even helped Barkley get ready for his Alchemy exam two weeks ago. I don't get it!”

 

Hughes shrugged. “I don't know. It's just the way I am.”

 

“That's ridiculous!” Roy said throwing his hands in the air. “No one's that good.”

 

“Good?” Hughes laughed. “You think I'm good? There are dozens of people out there who would disagree with you.”

 

“Then they're idiots! You're one of the most annoyingly good people I've ever met!”

 

“Then you must not know very many good people.”

 

“I know plenty, thank you!”

 

“Well, then it's a little odd that you would put me in that category.”

 

“No, you're odd.”

 

“Mustang, why are we arguing?”

 

“We aren't arguing.”

 

“Then why are you shouting at me?”

 

“I am not shouting at you!” Roy shouted at Hughes. “I just think that you're odd.”

 

“Okay, I'm odd.”

 

“Fine!”

 

“So, do you want to order pizza?”

 

Roy stared at Hughes who just smiled at him.

 

“You eat sausage and pepperoni, right?” Hughes stretched. “They're a double deal at the pizza place that delivers. I'll order two and we'll have some left over for tomorrow.”

 

“Um, okay.”

 

Hughes stood up and grabbed his wallet from his desk. “I'll get two six packs of that tea you like so you have stuff to drink. Campus maintenance said they weren't going to refill the vending machines for two weeks and I think Hershal bought a bunch of that tea before he left.”

 

Roy sat on his bed and blinked. “Do you know everything that happens around here?”

 

Hughes flashed a smile. “Pretty much everything. Although it took until about 10 minutes ago to figure out if you were staying here or going home for break.”

 

“My parents are skiing this year,” Roy said quietly. “They didn't want me along.”

 

Pain flashed in Hughes's green eyes for a moment before he nodded. “Well then I guess you and I are going to have to rough it together this Christmas.”

 

Roy nodded. Hughes smiled again and went out to the hall to order the pizza.

 

 

“So, what did you mean when you said that this is your home until you graduate?” Roy asked. It was late, a lot later then Roy had been up since even before entering the academy. He and Hughes had finished off a whole pizza and were lying in their beds with only Hughes's desk light on having their first conversation.

 

“My parents died when I was 11,” Hughes said seriously.

 

Roy glanced over. Hughes had taken off his glasses and was staring at the ceiling. “So you live with an aunt or uncle?”

 

Hughes shook his head. “No. I don't have any that I know of.”

 

“What did you do when they died?”

 

“I stayed with a family friend for a few weeks until I was able to get into a boarding school. From then on I've been skipping from school to school.”

 

“What about your home? Didn't your parent own a house or something like that?”

 

“No, we traveled around. My dad was really smart, but not really good at keeping a job. We never really had enough money to own a house or too much stuff.”

 

“Wait, so if your dad couldn't keep a job, how did you guys live?”

 

“We found a way. Of course we had a couple of thin weeks, but we were happy.”

 

“What do you mean, thin?”

 

“You know, weeks when all there was to eat was the ketchup packets and crackers that you get for free at restaurants.” Hughes turned over. “I can tell you the whole meal plan system is brilliant. Getting three meals a day, being able to eat your fill. If I had known about it before I would have signed all of us up for it a long time ago.”

 

Roy didn't know what to say.

 

“Enough about my life, what was growing up in your house like?”

 

Roy turned on his back and stared at the ceiling. “It was good, I guess.”

 

“You guess?”

 

“Well, my father is a major in the military, which is why I'm here. He's been obsessed with getting a promotion, but I really doubt that it will ever happen. He's not very good at making decisions and is absolutely terrified of making a mistake. See my grandfather was General Reginald Mustang, who died in the service of Ametris about 20 years ago. My dad's been trying to live up to his father's reputation, which is impossible, because according to my grandmother, Reginald Mustang walked on water. My mother's always wanted to be the wife of someone important, which is something my father definitely is not, so she's spent the last few decades of her life disappointed and bitter. I don't have any brothers and sisters because my mother hated the way she looked when she was pregnant with me, and won't let my father touch her any more. I'm pretty sure both she and my father are more or less involved with other people, but because divorce is so uncommon in military families, they'll never get divorced. So instead they constantly cut down each other and everything about their lives just to remind themselves of how miserable they are.” Roy looked over and noticed that Hughes had turned and was looking at him. “What?”

 

Hughes shook his head. “You're so nonchalant about everything.”

 

Roy shrugged. “Getting upset about it doesn't help. I try to concentrate on my life and limit the damage they can inflict.” Roy was quiet for a minute. “Besides, it's not as though they beat me or anything.”

 

“Yea,” Hughes said quietly. “I guess. Hey, what do you really want to do with your life?”

 

Roy was quiet as he thought over the question. “I don't know. I do know that I want to be one of those people who think for themselves and actually do things.”

 

Hughes laughed. “And you're in the military? You know that most people just follow orders and push papers around.”

 

“Yea, but only the lower ranks. Once you get to be a colonel, you have more responsibility and actually do stuff.”

 

“Yea, but you have to get past a bunch of different ranks to get there.” Hughes shook his head.

 

“I know.”

 

“You know what?” Hughes turned to Roy. “You should study to be an Alchemist. You start of being a Major and you report directly into the Furher.”

 

“Do you have any idea how much work goes into being an Alchemist?” Roy said turning over and facing Hughes.

 

“Yea, I helped one of my friends get ready for the exam this past semester.”

 

“And you need to have a talent for Alchemy. Not just anyone can do it.”

 

“Yea, but I bet you do have the talent. We should work on it during break.”

 

“You're nuts, you know that, right?”

 

“What's so crazy about seeing if you have a talent for Alchemy? Barkley said he didn't even know about Alchemy until his second year here, and you're much creative than he is.”

 

“Nuts.”

 

“You'll be thanking me when you get out of here already a major.”

 

“Whatever.” Roy faced his ceiling again. “What do you want to do?”

 

“Me?” Hughes laughed. “I don't know. Maybe intelligence.”

 

“That would be a piece of cake for you,” Roy snorted. “You've already figured this place out in three months.”

 

“This place isn't that hard. You just have to know that most of the students here are scared shitless and most of the teachers a frustrated has beens.”

 

Roy's eyes popped. “Wow, you're harsh.”

 

“No, I'm honest. When everyone comes back look at everyone. They all have their stories and fears. Almost everyone out there is just begging for someone to notice them and tell them everything's going to be okay.”

 

“Almost everyone?”

 

“Yea, you were the first exception.”

 

“Is that why you were nice to me?”

 

Hughes snorted. “No. I was nice to you because you're my room mate and I didn't want my sheets short shifted.”

 

“Like I would do that.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Roy felt his eyes get heavy. An unwelcomed thought bolted him away again. “Hey is it true that Jones down the hall asked you to be his room mate next semester?”

 

“Yea,” Hughes yawned.

 

“Well?”

 

“Well, what?”

 

“Are you going to?”

 

“Am I going to be his room mate? Are you crazy?”

 

“Probably, but answer the question.”

 

“No, of course not. I have a room mate.”

 

Roy glanced over to see if Hughes was kidding, but Hughes just yawned again. “Now I have to get like 27 hours of sleep to make up for this last week. Good night, Mustang.”

 

“Yea, good night Hughes.”