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cornerofmadnessTitle -- When Sorrow Comes
Author--![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cornerofmadness
Disclaimer -- Arakawa owns all, I’m just having lots of fun.
Rating -- R for violence and sexual situations
Characters/Pairing -- Roy/Riza, Ed/Winry, Maes/Gracia, Alex Louis/OC, lots of Ishbalan OC’s
Timeline/Spoilers -- Technically it’s a few years post CoS with manga elements
Word Count -- 34,777
genre mystery/suspense
Warning -- violence and descriptions of murder.
Summary -- As Ed, Al and Alt!Maes settle into life in Amestris, they have to help Roy in his role as ambassador whose main duties are to speed along the Ishbalan homeland restoration. In the middle of this, a series killer seems desperate to get Mustang’s attention while Riza is no longer always at his side, guarding, instead, the new Fuhrer.
Chapter Three
“Dev, did you hear back from that contractor yet?” Roy looked at the files on his desk. If they got any higher, he wouldn’t be able to see out into the anteroom where his men worked. He could trust Fuery and Falman, but if Havoc thought he couldn’t see him, he’d start in with Breda, goofing around. It didn’t help that Mera and Dev where working out of his office today. Dammit where was his file? They had only moved into these new quarters a month ago, and he swore he didn’t know where half his stuff was.
“They said it’ll be another three weeks before the apartments on Hickory Ridge Lane are ready,” the young priest said. “And they wanted to talk about building more Ishbalan housing three blocks over.”
“Do we have enough people wanting to stay in the city?” Mera asked. “A lot of the scuttlebutt around the center is about going back to the desert, though I can’t see everyone leaving here.”
“I’d say more people will leave than will stay, but enough should stay for another apartment complex. Most people my age and younger haven’t had access to formal education. Now that they can get training here, they’ll need a place to live.” Dev leaned his cheek against his hand.
Roy’s lip curled. “Housing for teens, there’s a thankless job. Might as well house them in a barn, given the wreckage they’ll leave behind.”
“Nice,” Mera sniffed.
Roy shrugged. “I went to the Academy, I know what teens in close quarters do.”
“Each other, if the rumors about you are true,” Dev said and Havoc snickered.
“Havoc, go take a smoke break, outside.” Roy jerked a hand toward the door.
Havoc’s face fell. “Aw, boss, it’s freezing out there.”
“Doctor said, I’m not supposed to breathing in smoke yet. You can contemplate this the next time you’re tempted to laugh at me.” Roy smirked.
Havoc dug his cigarettes out of his desk drawer. “Having pneumonia’s made you mean,” he grumbled on his way out.
Mera went over to the little stove Mustang had finagled for the office to go with the small sink and ice chest . He had convinced his higher ups that having a rest area inside the building would actually increase productivity. She put the kettle on before coming over to where Roy stood in the doorway to his office. “Are you okay? You said you were better,” she said in a whisper.
“I’m just milking it. Don’t want to breathe in all that smoke.” Roy shrugged then turned back to Dev. “Why don’t you and Mera get together on the pros and cons of adding the apartments. Mera, type it up.
“Fine. Just keep in mind I’m not Dev’s secretary.” She eyed the young priest. “When do you think you’ll have control over that metal hand enough to type?”
“Hopefully never,” Dev replied cheerfully, flexing his automail fingers. “I plan on sliding right into bossy-pants’s position and give the orders and do no actual work.”
“You can go outside on a smoke break, too, you know.” Roy leveled a glare at Dev.
“I don’t smoke.”
“I don’t care.”
“General, here, I have the latest census reports. You asked for them last week,” Falman said, coming over with the paperwork. “They might help Dev and Mera to try and determine how many Ishbalans within the city limits are the right age to enroll in college or training programs.”
“Good idea. You can work with them. Breda, didn’t General Husted have something he wanted the team to do?”
“He wanted to go over troop assignments,” Breda replied.
“I’ll get on that now.” Roy sighed. Juggling two jobs was more tiring than he anticipated. He was still General Mustang, but also the so-called ambassador to Ishbal. It would only last until he was expected to move to an embassy within their desert homeland. He’d go back there to help rebuild, but not to live. He didn’t think he could stand the guilt, and Roy knew at least half of the Ishbalans would see it as an insult.
Dev, Mera and Aris did a good job of coordinating the rebuilding in the desert and in the Ishbalan quarter of Central. Roy was determined to give it new life. Buildings that could be saved would be remodeled. Those that couldn’t, would be removed. It had been less than two decades since it had fallen from a small but vibrant part of Central into a slum, so it shouldn’t be that hard.
Trying to rebuild entire Ishbalan cities was much harder, but the largest of them was well underway, at least on paper. Dev’s mother was doing a good job in directing the building of a hospital, and she had rounded up an entire class full of want-to-be nurses. Uzziel and Aris were handling the design of the temple there, and Dev and Kennan were working on rebuilding the one that Dev’s sort of girlfriend had blown up in town earlier in the year.
“I wish I had Ed’s job some days,” Dev sighed, taking the census documents from Falman and breaking Roy free of his thoughts of city planning.
“He’s stuck working a murder that they haven’t made progress on in over two weeks,” Roy reminded him. “And he did end up in the sewers on the burglary investigation.”
“He still blames you for that,” Dev said. “Though investigations does seem interesting.”
“I know Ed does. Well, Winry’s finally back, and that’ll relax him. We shouldn’t hear a rant for at least another week,” Roy replied then grimaced. Sometimes it was just so damn awkward. Dev was friends with Winry and Ed, but being Winry’s ex made things strange, about as strange as it was with Riza and him being friends with Mera. He needed to find Dev a decent girlfriend – not his niece – but so far, the young man ignored his suggestions. Dev couldn’t be left to his own devices any more than Mera. She picked men who beat her, and, except for Winry whom Roy had nudged him toward in the first place, Dev picked women who shot him. Maes would accuse him of being a meddlesome matchmaker if he caught wind of what Roy had in mind, as if he were any better.
Dev shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You’re grumpy. This office moved smoother when you were…” How to put this delicately? “Seeing someone.”
“That’s true,” Mera said and Dev glared at her.
“It also went smoothly when General Jackass was in a coma,” Dev replied, stabbing a finger at Roy.
“Nice. Just get to work.” Roy waved him off.
“Isn’t that what we usually say to you?”
“Yes, but I’m taking a half day. I’m still a little wheezy,” Roy replied with a fake cough to reinforce his position.
“Liar. We all know why you’re taking a day off,” Dev shot back.
“Be nice. This is a military office,” Roy said, but his men were expertly ignoring the conversation and it was possible Havoc had frozen to death on his smoke break since he hadn’t returned.
“And if I call over to the Fuhrer’s office, Riza will be there?” Dev’s brow arched.
“Would you like to join Edward on sewer exploration? I’m sure I can convince Maes of your interest in joining Investigation,” Roy said, and Dev showed his one of the few things he could do with his automail fingers. Of course, Roy was pretty sure the meaning of the gesture wasn’t physically possible. “Fine, hold down the fort. Falman, keep them in line.”
“Of course, sir.”
Roy headed out into the cold, catching Havoc on the way in. He sent the man after a car. His house was far too far away to walk on even the best of days, and this was definitely not one of them. The leather seats in the car smelled dank as the heater struggled to warm the car. Too many people had been in and out of this military vehicle, tracking in slush and snow. Maybe cloth seats should be suggested to whomever provided the military vehicles. It might not wear as long, but at least ranking military officers wouldn’t gag to death on the stench of wet leather. He listened to Havoc chattering about his upcoming date, not enlightening him on the fact that he was actually in the process of driving his general to go get a little afternoon delight. It was the perfect time for it. Li-Ying and Miao-Yin had left for the day to go attend some seminar on herbal healing, and Riza had managed to finagle a half day off to match his. Roy swore he’d make himself feverish if need be to prove he was ill still.
Havoc dropped him off. Hayate didn’t greet him so Roy assumed he made it back before Riza. A chill clung to the house. He edged up the heater then started a fire in the living room fireplace before going upstairs to do the same in the bedroom. There was something about a clean burning wood fire. It could almost make him enjoy having fire around him again. Sometimes it was hard to watch the flames. It made him remember. Worse, it made Riza remember what she helped turn him into. Still, it felt good on a day like this, and while it might not be that romantic to either of them, it was better than the banging of steam heat. The steam pipes were just distracting, and gave the house a haunted feel in the middle of the night.
Roy shucked out of his uniform and his boots, opting for clothing that was much easier to get out of, and his sturdy-bottomed leather slippers. One of the many downsides to his metal leg was it destroyed shoes and slippers, and going barefoot ruined the hardwood flooring. Also, it got like ice in the bed at night. He trundled downstairs and poured two glasses of wine. Kicking the slippers off, he propped his metal foot up near the fireplace so at least when they got into bed, he wouldn’t be bringing along an unwanted chill. He rubbed the burn-scarred skin above his prosthesis. His ankle ached like mad on days like this, even though he no longer had a real ankle.
Roy wasn’t sure if the Gate had taken the ankle, or if it had been blown into the hot balloon’s basket when the Gate exploded. Not that it mattered. He had seared the life threatening wound closed and as soon as he was coherent again, he’d contacted Winry. She had been as good as her word about forgiving him for her parents’ deaths. He didn’t really understand why, but he didn’t argue it. She had gotten him back on his feet again and he was grateful.
Roy ran a finger of the Xingese dragon that coursed down his metal leg and over his foot. Winry had had a fit over him transmuting the lucky symbol into his automail. Ed still to this day grouched that he was forbidden to do the same. Testing the metal with his living toes, Roy pulled the foot a little further away from the fire. It also wouldn’t do to give Riza second degree burns. Where was she?
He drank his wine and was on the second glass by the time she made it home. Hayate bounded over to greet him, snow clinging to his winter-thick fur.
“Sorry, Roy. A meeting ran long.” Riza paused to remove her slushy boots before padding over to give him a kiss.
“I’ve just been reminiscing,” he said and she studied his face. Usually he never did that in a good way. “I’m fine. Just thinking about how jealous Ed is over my leg.”
Riza snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”
He got up, handing her the wine glass. He raised his own. “To stolen afternoons.”
She clinked her glass to his. “To more of them in the future.”
“I like how you think.” Roy took a deep swallow of the wine, allowing her to do the same before gathering her in his arms for a deep kiss. “I have a fire started upstairs, too.”
“Mmmm, given how people just let themselves into our home at will, that might be for the best.” Riza set her glass down. “Hayate, you behave. Stay down here.”
There were times Roy really loved that Riza was a disciplinarian. Not having to worry about a dog nosing into their sex life was one of them. He watched her sweep up the stairs just so he could watch her backside. It wasn’t often he got to do that. When Riza was his adjutant, she was always a step behind him, probably watching his ass such as could be seen in that uniform. He missed seeing her at work every day now that she worked for Olivia, but he much rather have her at his side instead of two steps behind.
Riza grabbed him the moment she passed the threshold to their bed room, her lips pressing to his. While she no longer wore a blue uniform, her attire was similar to the military dress she had worn for so many years. Roy didn’t even have to look to skillfully find his way under her shirt to the holster she had tucked around into the small of her back. Once the jacket was off, he’d be able to see her twin shoulder holsters. His brain vacillated between being happy she was so well protected and hating Riza needed any weapons at all.
“You have on too much clothing,” she said, pulling on his shirt.
“You’re reading my mind.” Expert at getting out clothing fast, Roy stripped down and pulled the bedding down while she got out of her holsters. She preferred he didn’t touch them as if she were somehow ashamed of them.
She was down to her bra and underwear by the time he got the thick winter sheets uncovered from the heap of comforters. Roy caught her in his arms, kissing his way from one scarred shoulder to the other. Riza shuddered under his touch as he freed her bra. Roy didn’t linger over her scars or her tattoo, knowing how sensitive she was about it. Riza backed him up against the bed, her fingers tracing a light pattern over the sensitive skin of his cock. Moaning softly, Roy pulled her down onto the bed, unable to think of a time in his life when he was happier than he was now.
XXX
Dev looked up from his game with Mera, hearing his name being called. He waved to Rotem who was busily stomping snow off his feet.
“Play you next round?” Rotem nodded to the Hahb board.
“Sure. Cold enough?” Dev grinned.
“Don't be a dick.” Rotem huffed. “Speaking of which, I think mine froze off.”
“Just what every woman wants to hear,” Mera said drolly and Rotem snorted at her.
“They have a carafe of coffee over there.” Dev pointed.
Rotem grunted, shuffling after it. “Mustang let you two run free?”
“Eh, early day. I think he wanted sex or something. I try not to think about it.” Dev made a face and Mera kicked his ankle. Dev yelped.
“I'm not sure how you two stand working with him.”
“Honestly? It's not so bad. Surprised the hell out of me. He's fairly laid back unless some contractor pisses him off, and then you do not want to be that contractor.” Dev moved two of his stone ‘seeds.’
“How is all of that going? Do you really think it’s going to work?” Rotem sat down with them, a steaming mug cupped in his hands.
“I do,” Dev replied. “We have plans to rebuild Hadimoy and Jahiosaph first. We have the blueprints for schools and a hospital along with other municipal buildings.”
“And they nearly finished those new apartments in the historic Ishbalan district of Central. That’s pretty exciting,” Mera added. “I’ve seen the layout. They’re really nice. They’re a lot like Dev’s apartment, done in traditional Ishbalan color schemes.”
Rotem’s nose wrinkled. “Not everyone is happy that we have the Amestrians helping us.”
“You can’t please everyone. Someone is always going to bitch loudly.” Dev shrugged. “How do you feel about it?”
“You’ve been changing my mind,” Rotem admitted. “You’ve changed the minds of some important priests like Mera’s father.”
Mera nodded, moving her game piece. “Well, my grandfather had a little to do with that, too, but it’s my grandmother’s influence, really. She’s tired of all the fighting.”
“Yeah, I guess I’m seeing that these particular means to the end aren’t so bad after all,” Rotem said. “I know Vashti is interested in the schooling opportunities you guys lined up.”
“Great. They are tempting,” Dev said.
“You thinking of quitting the priesthood?” Rotem pointed to a cup on the board. “She’s going to beat you if you move that.”
“Shut up, Rotem.” Mera said.
“Thanks and no, not really. I’m not that thrilled with herbs, but I like being a priest.” Dev wrinkled his nose. His damaged body limited him to the branch of the priesthood that practiced herbal healing. “Maybe I’ll take some teaching classes.”
“Do you have the patience for that?” Mera moved her stones. “And you just lost.”
“Damn it.” Dev slapped the table. “You distracted me, Rotem.”
“No, you just suck.” His friend grinned. “I should play Mera.”
She shook her head. “You two play. Want some coffee, Dev?”
“Sure if you don’t mind.”
“Not a problem. I saw your leg playing up again,” she said, heading for the carafe.
“Thanks.” Dev set up the game to the start position. “We still going to the movies with Vashti?”
“Yeah, that’s still on. Prepare to get your head handed to you.” Rotem rubbed his hands.
“Please. You’re not a hot woman. I’m not going to get distracted,” Dev snorted.
“It has to be pretty easy to come in and see her every day.” Rotem twisted to look at Mera, then whispered, “But she does have a reputation. You’re not muscular or mean enough for her.”
“She’s looking for something different.” Dev shrugged. “Never really thought it could be me, no matter what Mustang says. He’s like a meddlesome old woman and that friend of his, Hughes, is no better.”
Rotem twisted back around. “You have no shot. She could have anyone.”
“Never count me out.” Dev grumbled, making a move. He hardly needed to be told he was too ugly and scarred for a beautiful woman. “Shut up and play.” No one ever had faith in him but when he thought about it, Dev had to admit maybe Mustang was onto something after all.
XXX
“Thanks for meeting me, Miao-Yin. I know it’s freezing out there.” Al stretched his legs. The library had miserably uncomfortable seats.
“Not a problem. Let’s go somewhere more comfortable. We’re not too far from my favorite tea shop and they now have some pretty special chocolate pots, too.” The young alchemist smiled. “We could have stayed at your place and gone over the notes, Al.”
“No, we’re going to your uncle’s after this,” Al countered. “And I’ll eventually call my brother and tell him it’s too yucky out to come home and I’ll be spending the night in my guest room at Roy’s.”
“Ah, Winry’s home.” Miao-Yin waved for Al to get up.
He gathered up his books, nodding. “And Ed is the noisiest little thing. We’re on two different floors of the house and I still hear him.”
“And you think my uncle’s home will be any less noisy?” Miao-Yin smirked.
“No, but it’s big. The sound doesn’t carry as much.” Al headed for the door then let Miao Yin take the lead.
She laughed. “Mom’s been saying some mean things about her brother since Aunt Riza still isn’t pregnant.”
“It’s only been a few months.”
“Oh, I know, but you know siblings. Well, you never had a sister. They can be mean.”
“Winry was close enough and yes they can,” Al agreed, his arm twitching in remembrance of times Winry punched him as a kid.
“And women can be fun. Speaking of which, there is a Snow Ball in a few weeks. Would you like to go with me?” Miao-Yin’s smile warmed up the frigid air.
Al blushed, sputtering for a second, not sure what to say. “I thought maybe you’d ask Dev to that.”
“I can’t. Uncle Roy might just kill him and Dev can’t go out with alchemists. Poor thing.” Miao-Yin caught a lamp pole with a gloved hand, swinging around it. “He’d really like to though.”
“No doubt. I…I need to think about it, okay? It’s not that I wouldn’t love to but.” Al glanced away, but she caught his cheek with those rough-knit gloves.
“You still miss her. I understand. Just think about it. I don’t know too many people here and I’d like to go,” she said.
“I’m thinking about it,” Al promised. And he was. It might be nice to go out again, but he still missed his fiancée. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Ziata was dead, in another dimension and that he needed to move on. He just needed to think about it before diving in.
XXX
John knew he couldn't resist much longer. He wished that winter hadn't come. Combat boots and snow boots could send a singular thrill up his spine but they didn't make his heart race like a spiked heel. Those were even more prized than combat boots, taking him to such a special place. Oh, the way they made a woman's leg look so long and elegant. How could he resist at all? He had already selected a few women he wanted to follow, not those at the hospital. No, sensible hospital foot gear did nothing for him. At least a combat boot, while inelegant, spoke of power and he loved that. Hospital shoes whispered of varicose veins and unattractive feet.
“Medic, we could use some help over here.” John turned, wiping both hands on his uniform top. His automail fingers spasmed a bit. He needed maintenance. Maybe he’d need to do that before he hunted again. He’d want to be in perfect working order, after all. “Coming, doctor.” It was only a matter of time now.
Chapter Four
Feeling a tug on his robe, Dev looked down to see Ahaava, Uzziel’s granddaughter. The nine year old smiled up at him. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Is that the actress everyone is talking about?” She pointed to Mustang’s sister who was center stage – or at least in the middle of the room in the Ishbalan center – along with Mera and the jerk.
For a moment he was surprised the little girl was talking to him. While he’d known Uzziel half his life, the priest’s grandson and great-granddaughter lived in another encampment and he hadn’t seen them often. Children, on the whole, usually avoided him, afraid of the hooks he had before Winry made him a new hand. The automail hadn’t really changed that reaction much, making Ahaava’s question that more unusual. “Yes, that’s Jun.”
“Aunt Mera looks pretty dancing with her,” Ahaava decided. “The guy is very pretty.”
“Uh…” Dev glanced around, trying to see if Mattan or Uzziel was around to hear Ahaava’s proclamation about Mustang. “Is your dad here?”
“Over there with some boring old men.” She pointed to a corner of the center where Mattan stood with his father and grandfather and a trio of hard-core priests, who were vocal opponents of using any help from Amestris to rebuild. They made Dev nervous, as he wasn’t sure they could be trusted no to kill Roy and kick off another civil war. “Can I see your hand? Dad says you have a metal hand.”
Dev snorted before extending it to her. He’d never seen a kid eager to see his hand, especially a girl. “It’s automail,” he said, trying to divert his attention away from where Mera and Jun were dancing. It was hard to pay attention to a kid when beautiful women were gyrating about, Ishbala forgive him his shallowness. He really would rather watch the women than talk to a kid.
“How does it work?” Ahaava asked, pulling his fingers into the open position.
“No clue. You’d have to ask my mechanic.” Too bad she wasn’t out there dancing with Mera. Or Miao-Yin, or, for that matter Riza. Ishbala, Mustang was a lucky man. “I think she’s around,” Dev said, casting about to see if he could spot Winry, Al and Ed. He knew they had come to hear Jun, if for no other reason than Al had a crush on the woman. Dev didn’t blame him. It didn’t matter that Jun was nearly his mom’s age. Too bad Mustang kept dancing into view, ruining the fantasy that it was Dev in between Mera and Jun. Well, he had danced with them both since Li-Ying and Miao-Yin decided that he needed to make dance part of his physical therapy. It was working. He hardly needed his cane any more except on icy or uneven ground.
“What’s a mechanic? How do you make the fingers move?” Ahaava tried to peer inside his knuckles.
What an odd little girl. “A mechanic makes automail and I think about the movement and the fingers move…sort of. I can’t work it well yet.”
“Ahaava, don’t bother him!”
Dev looked over to see Mattan heading his way, the rest of the priests in tow. “It’s all right. She’s not bothering me. Your daughter is really interested in my automail.”
The priest snorted. “Anything science and she’s interested in it.”
“I don’t mind. I’m used to people looking at it. At least she wants to know how it works. Too bad I can’t tell her. I was looking for my mechanic. She’s here somewhere and would love to talk to Ahaava about it, if that’s okay,” Dev said quickly knowing many of the priests in Mattan’s order, the warriors, were the most xenophobic of his people, for good reason.
“I don’t. We’re just here listening to the music, letting them get to know the locals.” Mattan nodded to the older priests next to his father and grandfather, while gesturing toward Roy.
Dev nodded. By mutual agreement, they decided to let the visiting priests meet Mustang before telling them who he was. None of them seemed to recognize him, and it had been Aris’s and Dev’s original idea to let them get to know him as he really was. After all, these priests had all voted to put Mustang to death before losing the vote. Of course, Dev hadn’t expected Mustang to join in with his sister and her band of pacifists and make a dancing fool of himself. However, it might be a good thing, letting them get to see a lighter, non-military side of Mustang and, to Dev’s perpetual disappointment in his quest to find something Mustang sucked at, the man did dance well enough to blend into Jun’s troupe.
“I don’t see where Winry is though,” Dev said, thinking she was probably off in a back room doing unspeakable things to the shrimp. He might like Ed – a lot really. He was an interesting friend – but he didn’t want to think about Winry and Ed. Nothing would change the fact Winry had been Dev’s first love, even if he had messed it up. Dev almost wished that he hadn’t. Getting dumped might be better than knowing he’d been an ass. Of course, the few Ishbalan friends he had would have probably deserted him if he hadn’t left her, leaving him almost pointless in his job as liaison between the younger Ishbalans and the new government.
“Aw, I wanna know how it works.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her that. She’d love to tell you all about it until you don’t want to hear any more,” Dev said, ignoring Mattan’s chuckle. “And we’re about to get a visit from a dignitary.” He pointed to Jun, who headed their way with Roy and Mera in tow.
“Ahaava, go find your mother,” Mattan said. She opened her mouth to protest but one look from her father and she scurried off.
Dev figured he didn’t want her around if something happened between Mustang and the priests. “You guys finally tiring out?” he asked, hoping to head off any tension, not that he had a prayer in hell of doing that.
“Someone has to get to work. He’s been taking too many days off with pneumonia or some nonsense.” Jun slapped Roy’s back and he scowled.
“Have you been enjoying the show?” Mustang directed that to the consul of elder priests. He knew in general who they were, thanks to Aris, but Dev doubted he knew them by name or that they wanted Mustang dead.
“Yes, though I didn’t expect to see so many non-Ishbalans in our center,” Shelar said.
“That’s the purpose of the center,” Jun said. “And of my group, bringing people together. It is harder to hate someone if you understand them better.”
Dev couldn’t tell how the older priest took that bit of wisdom, but the pinching of his face probably didn’t bode well.
“It’s exciting to be a part of it,” Mera said, gesturing around the center. “And it looked like everyone is enjoying it.”
Her father, Kennan, nodded. “I’d say so.”
“Good. I enjoyed talking to you guys earlier,” Mustang said, “but you’ll have to excuse me.”
Dev stared at him. When the hell did Mustang have time to talk to the priests? He’d only turned his back a few minutes to talk to the Elrics and Winry. Mustang went to the dressing screen in the corner that some of the professional singers had been using to do costume changes.
“That man isn’t sane,” Shelar said, and Dev nearly choked. Mustang really had spoken to them if they knew that.
“You can say that again. If there’s anything you need me to do, Uzziel, Kennan, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll pick up another set here in a minute,” Jun said.
“Whatever you’d like to do. We’re really enjoying it,” Uzziel said, beaming like a school boy at her.
“Oh, good. Come on Mera.” She put her arm around the other woman. “She’s going to solo for us,” Jun told Kennan.
“I’ll be looking forward to that,” he replied and Mera beamed.
“Thanks Dad.”
Dev watched the two ladies walk off but Kennan interrupted the view when he said, “Get his attention for me, Dev.” He pointed to Roy.
“Hey, Jackass!” Dev called across and Roy’s head popped up over the dressing screen.
“What?”
“Do you have time to talk to us before you go?” Kennan shot Dev a sour look.
“Sure. Just let me get my shirt on,” Roy said.
“There is something we need to tell you about him,” Uzziel told Shelar and the others.
“Oh?”
Before Uzziel could explain, an explosion rocked the center. For a moment, Dev thought the building was going to come down, but through the screams, he realized the explosion was from outside. Mustang raced out from behind the screen, pulling his Military jacket on as he went.
Dev ran after him, his bad leg shrieking in protest, but he didn’t slow. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Elrics following them. Kennan and the priests were right behind him. The slummy Ishbalan housing complex down the street was in flames. As Dev watched Roy run inside the building, he heard sirens in the distance.
“Brother, no!” Al grabbed Ed’s arm as the whole front of the apartment complex spewed flames. “We can’t get in there.”
Dev didn’t want in there. He had no idea why he was even standing in front of a burning building. His bladder was only two seconds away for going into business for itself.
“We have to do something!” Ed protested.
“Running into a burning building isn’t going to do it,” Winry said, making Dev wonder when she’d joined them. She pointed to the upper level. “Maybe a slide if anyone is trapped on the second floor.”
“We could do that,” Ed said.
“Something’s happening,” Dev said as the flames died down in front of the building. He heard Kennan or maybe Mattan swearing behind him. Someone was sobbing, several someones. The door slammed open and Mustang carried an old woman outside. She was doing her best to rip him apart. Behind them were several more people, pushing to get through the door. Dev ran forward with his friends, not sure how long Mustang could hold back the flames.
Dev held a hand out to the old woman. “Come on, grandma, he’s got you free of the fire.”
“Do you know who he is?” she coughed as Mustang let her go. “He probably caused it.”
“He didn’t. Come on, help’s coming,” Dev said as Ed tried to push past Roy.
Roy stopped Ed. “No, you don’t. I can’t control the flames as precisely as I once did. I can’t see half of what I need to,” Mustang said, ripping Al’s scarf off from around his neck. He buried it in the snow to wet it down. “You two stay out here, sublimate some snow. Make it rain.”
“There are kids up on the second floor,” one of the rescued Ishbalans said. “Did they get out?”
Dev suddenly realized the screaming wasn’t behind him. It was from inside. Mustang was already going back in. Sweat dripped down his torso seeing the panicked faces pressed to the glass of an upstairs window. Ed clapped his hands, dropping to the ground. A slide ripped upward from the transmuted ground, positioning itself under the window. Hearing people screaming, “Slide!” Dev joined in, in Ishbalan, but the young kids were too terrified or unable to open the window.
Al planted his hands into a snow bank that slowly dwindled, turning to vapor that recondensed over the roof when the heat hit it. An older teen joined the little kids at the window, yanking it open.
"Get out there," Mustang's voice, thick and choked, thundered over the roar of the fire. "Just slide down."
Three of the littlest kids didn't need to be told twice, hitting the slide hard and fast. Dev, Winry and the Elrics helped pick the kids up, getting them swiftly out of the way of others on the way down.
"I can't do this," the older boy who had opened the window said.
"You have to," Mustang argued. "The floor is giving way!"
"Come on, we'll catch you," Winry called, but the boy shook his head.
Mustang shouted, "Ed, Al, give me a net."
The brothers ripped off their coats and transmuted them into a net tied between the slide and a tree.
“Hurry up,” Dev called up. “Ignore the fact it’s alchemy!”
"I can't jump either!" the boy cried. “It’s too high!”
"Wanna bet." Mustang took two steps back then hit the boy running, knocking him out the window using his shoulder.
That's when Dev realized Mustang had something cradled against his chest. The boy shrieked all the way down, Mustang tucked up as he followed. A loud crack shattered the air as the floor collapsed, sending gouts of flame out the window. Dev missed the flaming tatters floating in the air, settling on his robe between his shoulders, as he moved in to help the terrified young Ishbalan off the makeshift net. Ed tried to help Mustang up. The general freed one hand up from the bundle on his chest, waving that hand oddly at Dev. Figuring Mustang wanted something, Dev moved closer, seeing the bundle was a baby. The infant coughed then wailed. Mustang choked as well, suffering from the smoke. Winry took the baby from him.
“Get everyone back,” Roy rasped. “I can’t keep this from burning down, but I can keep it from spreading.”
“We’ll do what we can,” Ed said.
“The fire trucks are here,” Al pointed to the roadway.
“And ambulances. Let’s get you and the baby there.” Winry ignored Mustang’s protests, assuring him he could see and control his fire from the back of an ambulance as well as he could half dead on his feet just a few yards closer to the building.
Dev watched them go, then helped Alphonse, who had started to examine the kids Roy evacuated from the second story to be sure they were all right. Unable to help them, Ed joined in with the firefighters, transmuting snow to vapor, then finally helping with the hoses.
“We should have the medics look at them,” Al said. “I’m still just beginning my training.”
“Right. Follow me,” Dev told the Ishbalan children. A little girl curled her finger around his hand. The boy Mustang had shoved out the window followed on trembling legs.
Dev saw Kennan, Uzziel, and other priests also descending on the waiting ambulances. His mother knelt on the ground, examining the flesh just above a docking port for an automail leg embossed with dragons. Next to her, Winry examined the scorched metal.
“Mom, these are the kids who were in the building. Al and I looked them over, but we think someone else with more experience should too, as soon as you’re done,” he said, watching Mustang holding an oxygen mask over the baby’s face, the infant cradled in one arm. His own mask hung haphazardly over his mouth and nose.
“I’m fine. Go look at the kids,” Mustang said through the mask. “They should take the baby to the hospital now.”
“I can transfer her to another ambulance,” a medic said. “But you should go too, General Mustang.”
“I am fine. Take care of the kids.” Roy pulled the mask off. “They should be able to handle the fire now. I’ve kept it from spreading.”
“You look exhausted,” Uzziel said.
Roy nodded, dragging out the back of the ambulance, brushing past Winry and Hala. “I’ll be in the center. Come get me if the fire gets out of hand.”
“We will,” Dev assured him, watching the alchemist stagger back to the Ishbalan Centre, ignoring his audience. Hearing his mother asking him for help, Dev turned back to the business at hand.
XXX
Maybe he should have gone to the hospital. Riza would kick his ass when she caught up with him. Roy couldn’t quite find a place to get comfortable in, settling for stretching out on a couch in the centre’s reading room while Talya fetched him water and handkerchiefs to cough up soot-stained gunk into. His whole respiratory system felt scorched, and the telltale hint of oil rode his upper lip. People had died in that fire. No, explosion, and he had already put in a cough-ridden call to Armstrong and Hughes to alert them to the possible sedition.
“Are you sure you won’t go to the hospital, sweetie?” Talya brushed his hands back.
Roy rubbed his eyes. The glass one felt like it had been coated in sand. His socket throbbed. “I just need to rest.”
“Drink all that water. You’re no doubt dehydrated. Your sister is helping everyone outside. I should go get her and make her take you to see a doctor. You’ve always been a stubborn ass.” Talya put her hands on her hips, glaring at him.
“Love you, too, Tally.”
“Uh-oh.” Tally nodded toward the door where Uzziel and Kennan stood with the priests Roy didn’t know. He only knew they hated him. Dev and Hala were behind them. “Priests are never fun.”
“You like Dev,” Roy reminded his childhood friend.
“Only because that child is a tall, good-looking, drink of water,” Talya corrected him. “Need me to stay with you?”
“No, I could probably use more water, though.”
Talya didn’t look happy about the dismissal, but she went off to get him another glass. Roy struggled into a sitting position.
“I needed to talk to you, Uzziel, Kennan.” Roy eyed the men with the two older priests, but they offered no introductions. They hadn’t earlier either when he and Jun spoke to them briefly.
“It was a bomb, wasn’t it?” Kennan asked.
Roy nodded wearily. “Definitely.”
“How can you be sure?” one of the unnamed priests asked.
“I’m more than familiar with them,” Roy replied. “I think they made a mistake in making the bomb. They died in the fire.”
“People died in that.” Dev glanced back at the door he had just come through. “You’re sure?”
“That smell, sort of like a roast? Trust me, I know that smell,” Roy said and Dev’s dark skin turned a pasty shade as he gagged. “I had to report it to my superiors.”
“Of course,” Uzziel said then added a few swear words in Ishbalan. “How soon will they be here?”
“Not sure but soon,” Roy said, then broke down into coughing.
“You really should go to the hospital,” Hala said.
“I’m fine. My eye hurts though. I should go home soon and take it out.”
Dev walked through the door and into the area that still housed their makeshift offices awaiting the completion of their new on-base office. He came back out with a specimen jar from his and Aris’s supply chest. He had one of Roy’s eye patches dangling from his automail hand. “Here, go put it in here.”
“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me.” Roy disappeared into the rest room and plucked out the glass eye. He hated staring at his face with the empty socket ‘looking’ back at him but he forced himself to study it. Unsurprisingly, the tissue was beefy red and swollen, and the glass eye turned the water he put in the specimen cup gray from ash. His wish that the strange – and rather obviously hostile – new priests would be gone by the time he got back out to the main room went unfulfilled.
Talya had given Dev Roy’s glass of water, fussing over the young priest. The musician would have been a great mother, though she would have to have been actually female in the first place. Roy went over and clapped a hand on Dev’s shoulder. “Have you calmed down any?”
“I’m better off than you,” Dev replied, giving him a long look.
“Good. I didn’t want you to get home and have a panic attack when you took off your robe,” Roy said.
“Huh?” Dev’s nose wrinkled and Roy took the glass of water from him.
“Your robe caught fire.”
Dev nearly knocked him over, jumping up. He tore off his robe and saw the hole burnt into it. Dropping the robe, he gagged, then raced for the bathroom, hand over his mouth.
Roy turned to Hala. “Yeah, I didn’t think he was okay.”
“I saw the damage but was waiting until we were alone,” Dev’s mother replied. “But that might not get to happen. I should probably get to the hospital. They might need help with all the smoke inhalation cases coming in from this. You should be one of them.” She nailed him with a perfect mother talking to petulant child look.
“This is not the first time I’ve been exposed to a little smoke. I’ll be just fine,” Roy replied and the newcomer priests mumbled amongst themselves.
“You are even more bullheaded than my son,” Hala huffed.
“I am. I admit it. Speaking of your stubborn son, you might want to check him for burns. You know how his sensations aren’t entirely intact. Did you see that the fire scorched his shirt, too?” he asked as Dev made a reappearance, still pale.
Hala shook her head. “Son, take your shirt off. I want to check out your back.”
“What the hell?” Dev yanked the shirt off, examining the hole burnt into it. For a moment Roy thought he was going to turn and run back to the bathroom. “How the hell didn’t I notice I was on fucking fire!”
“I put it out,” Roy replied.
Dev looked at him as his mother ran her hands over his scarred back. “Was that what you were doing after you jumped? I thought you were just being commanding.”
“I figured you’ve had enough of fire for one life time,” Roy said.
“I’d say he has,” Kennan growled, staring at Dev, then seemed to realize what he was doing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…I knew you’d been burned. I just didn’t know how extensive it was.”
“It doesn’t get any prettier the rest of the way down,” Dev grumbled.
“You’re pretty enough,” Talya said coming over with a glass and Dev rolled his eyes. “Here, ginger beer. Jun keeps it around. It’ll settle that stomach for you. I fixed it up a bit.”
Dev took a drink and coughed. “A bit? I think there’s a half a glass of desert rose whiskey in here.”
Talya waved him off. “It’ll relax you.”
“Or knock me out.” Dev looked over his shoulder. “Am I okay, Mom? It doesn’t hurt.”
“You have a little redness between your shoulders. Sit tight and I’ll get some aloe. You’ll be fine, better than Mustang is,” Hala said, patting her son’s shoulder before heading into the back where the supply chest was.
“Dev, go on home,” Uzziel said. “There is no need for you to sit through a military interrogation. If Mustang’s men need to talk to you, they can do it tomorrow. Kennan, Aris and I can handle this.”
“Technically they’re Hughes’s men, and if they need Dev today they know where to find him,” Roy said. “I better call Havoc to give me a ride home.”
“Please, I called Riza ages ago,” Talya said. “She’s probably outside trying to weave her way through the madness.”
“Oh. I should go look for her.” Roy sighed. “It is really hard dealing with fire when you can’t see half of it.”
“You managed,” Kennan said. “You also managed to save several lives so thank you for that.”
The other priests looked almost confused as to how to react to that. It fell too far outside of their expectations for him, Roy realized.
“This is one of the reasons I learned this alchemy,” Roy reminded them.
“Could you take Dev back to his place?” Hala asked.
“No, we lost power. They said it wouldn’t be on until tomorrow,” Dev said. “I was going to ask you if I could stay on the couch, Mom.”
She nodded. “Of course, but I’d rather not have you sitting around by yourself after being on fire again. I have to go to the hospital.”
Roy reached over and clamped a hand on Dev’s arm. “Put on a jacket. I’ll take him home with me.”
“Good. Your niece is there, right? With those acupuncture needles? He’ll probably be stiff after running around out there.”
Dev sighed. “Don’t fuss, Mom. Come on, Mustang. Let’s go find your wife.”
“If you need me, call,” Roy said to Uzziel and Kennan. He hoped they wouldn’t. What he didn’t want to say was he didn’t want to be alone any more than Dev did. Ishbalans dying in flames stirred up things Roy didn’t want to face. He headed out into the smoke-filled cold, hoping Riza was, in fact, out there and would take him out of this place.
XXX
The one type of woman he’d look at while at work was the secretaries. They wore such wonderful pumps, making their breasts and buttocks more prominent. He didn’t often get to see them. They didn’t come to the patient rooms where he worked, but occasionally he’d catch sight of them in the cafeteria or in the parking lot.
Miss Phillipa Penny wore her heels higher than most, even in weather like this. She had legs he wanted to lick his way down, not that she would ever look at a medic like him. She had her eyes on the big money, the hospital president she worked for. He was surprised she even bothered to come down to the cafeteria at all.
She was on her way home so he started to follow her out.
“Medic Pandur, where are you going?”
He turned to face Dr. Yates. “On break.”
“Sorry, you’ll have to take it later. There was an apartment fire. We’re going to get a little busy,” Yates said. “I need you to get down to the ER.”
He sighed, watching Miss Penny go out the door. “Yes, sir.” Oh well, there would be other days to make her his. Days when the town wasn’t already jumpy. Yes, a quiet winter night was better suited to his plans anyhow.
To chapter five
Author--
cornerofmadnessDisclaimer -- Arakawa owns all, I’m just having lots of fun.
Rating -- R for violence and sexual situations
Characters/Pairing -- Roy/Riza, Ed/Winry, Maes/Gracia, Alex Louis/OC, lots of Ishbalan OC’s
Timeline/Spoilers -- Technically it’s a few years post CoS with manga elements
Word Count -- 34,777
genre mystery/suspense
Warning -- violence and descriptions of murder.
Summary -- As Ed, Al and Alt!Maes settle into life in Amestris, they have to help Roy in his role as ambassador whose main duties are to speed along the Ishbalan homeland restoration. In the middle of this, a series killer seems desperate to get Mustang’s attention while Riza is no longer always at his side, guarding, instead, the new Fuhrer.
Chapter Three
“Dev, did you hear back from that contractor yet?” Roy looked at the files on his desk. If they got any higher, he wouldn’t be able to see out into the anteroom where his men worked. He could trust Fuery and Falman, but if Havoc thought he couldn’t see him, he’d start in with Breda, goofing around. It didn’t help that Mera and Dev where working out of his office today. Dammit where was his file? They had only moved into these new quarters a month ago, and he swore he didn’t know where half his stuff was.
“They said it’ll be another three weeks before the apartments on Hickory Ridge Lane are ready,” the young priest said. “And they wanted to talk about building more Ishbalan housing three blocks over.”
“Do we have enough people wanting to stay in the city?” Mera asked. “A lot of the scuttlebutt around the center is about going back to the desert, though I can’t see everyone leaving here.”
“I’d say more people will leave than will stay, but enough should stay for another apartment complex. Most people my age and younger haven’t had access to formal education. Now that they can get training here, they’ll need a place to live.” Dev leaned his cheek against his hand.
Roy’s lip curled. “Housing for teens, there’s a thankless job. Might as well house them in a barn, given the wreckage they’ll leave behind.”
“Nice,” Mera sniffed.
Roy shrugged. “I went to the Academy, I know what teens in close quarters do.”
“Each other, if the rumors about you are true,” Dev said and Havoc snickered.
“Havoc, go take a smoke break, outside.” Roy jerked a hand toward the door.
Havoc’s face fell. “Aw, boss, it’s freezing out there.”
“Doctor said, I’m not supposed to breathing in smoke yet. You can contemplate this the next time you’re tempted to laugh at me.” Roy smirked.
Havoc dug his cigarettes out of his desk drawer. “Having pneumonia’s made you mean,” he grumbled on his way out.
Mera went over to the little stove Mustang had finagled for the office to go with the small sink and ice chest . He had convinced his higher ups that having a rest area inside the building would actually increase productivity. She put the kettle on before coming over to where Roy stood in the doorway to his office. “Are you okay? You said you were better,” she said in a whisper.
“I’m just milking it. Don’t want to breathe in all that smoke.” Roy shrugged then turned back to Dev. “Why don’t you and Mera get together on the pros and cons of adding the apartments. Mera, type it up.
“Fine. Just keep in mind I’m not Dev’s secretary.” She eyed the young priest. “When do you think you’ll have control over that metal hand enough to type?”
“Hopefully never,” Dev replied cheerfully, flexing his automail fingers. “I plan on sliding right into bossy-pants’s position and give the orders and do no actual work.”
“You can go outside on a smoke break, too, you know.” Roy leveled a glare at Dev.
“I don’t smoke.”
“I don’t care.”
“General, here, I have the latest census reports. You asked for them last week,” Falman said, coming over with the paperwork. “They might help Dev and Mera to try and determine how many Ishbalans within the city limits are the right age to enroll in college or training programs.”
“Good idea. You can work with them. Breda, didn’t General Husted have something he wanted the team to do?”
“He wanted to go over troop assignments,” Breda replied.
“I’ll get on that now.” Roy sighed. Juggling two jobs was more tiring than he anticipated. He was still General Mustang, but also the so-called ambassador to Ishbal. It would only last until he was expected to move to an embassy within their desert homeland. He’d go back there to help rebuild, but not to live. He didn’t think he could stand the guilt, and Roy knew at least half of the Ishbalans would see it as an insult.
Dev, Mera and Aris did a good job of coordinating the rebuilding in the desert and in the Ishbalan quarter of Central. Roy was determined to give it new life. Buildings that could be saved would be remodeled. Those that couldn’t, would be removed. It had been less than two decades since it had fallen from a small but vibrant part of Central into a slum, so it shouldn’t be that hard.
Trying to rebuild entire Ishbalan cities was much harder, but the largest of them was well underway, at least on paper. Dev’s mother was doing a good job in directing the building of a hospital, and she had rounded up an entire class full of want-to-be nurses. Uzziel and Aris were handling the design of the temple there, and Dev and Kennan were working on rebuilding the one that Dev’s sort of girlfriend had blown up in town earlier in the year.
“I wish I had Ed’s job some days,” Dev sighed, taking the census documents from Falman and breaking Roy free of his thoughts of city planning.
“He’s stuck working a murder that they haven’t made progress on in over two weeks,” Roy reminded him. “And he did end up in the sewers on the burglary investigation.”
“He still blames you for that,” Dev said. “Though investigations does seem interesting.”
“I know Ed does. Well, Winry’s finally back, and that’ll relax him. We shouldn’t hear a rant for at least another week,” Roy replied then grimaced. Sometimes it was just so damn awkward. Dev was friends with Winry and Ed, but being Winry’s ex made things strange, about as strange as it was with Riza and him being friends with Mera. He needed to find Dev a decent girlfriend – not his niece – but so far, the young man ignored his suggestions. Dev couldn’t be left to his own devices any more than Mera. She picked men who beat her, and, except for Winry whom Roy had nudged him toward in the first place, Dev picked women who shot him. Maes would accuse him of being a meddlesome matchmaker if he caught wind of what Roy had in mind, as if he were any better.
Dev shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You’re grumpy. This office moved smoother when you were…” How to put this delicately? “Seeing someone.”
“That’s true,” Mera said and Dev glared at her.
“It also went smoothly when General Jackass was in a coma,” Dev replied, stabbing a finger at Roy.
“Nice. Just get to work.” Roy waved him off.
“Isn’t that what we usually say to you?”
“Yes, but I’m taking a half day. I’m still a little wheezy,” Roy replied with a fake cough to reinforce his position.
“Liar. We all know why you’re taking a day off,” Dev shot back.
“Be nice. This is a military office,” Roy said, but his men were expertly ignoring the conversation and it was possible Havoc had frozen to death on his smoke break since he hadn’t returned.
“And if I call over to the Fuhrer’s office, Riza will be there?” Dev’s brow arched.
“Would you like to join Edward on sewer exploration? I’m sure I can convince Maes of your interest in joining Investigation,” Roy said, and Dev showed his one of the few things he could do with his automail fingers. Of course, Roy was pretty sure the meaning of the gesture wasn’t physically possible. “Fine, hold down the fort. Falman, keep them in line.”
“Of course, sir.”
Roy headed out into the cold, catching Havoc on the way in. He sent the man after a car. His house was far too far away to walk on even the best of days, and this was definitely not one of them. The leather seats in the car smelled dank as the heater struggled to warm the car. Too many people had been in and out of this military vehicle, tracking in slush and snow. Maybe cloth seats should be suggested to whomever provided the military vehicles. It might not wear as long, but at least ranking military officers wouldn’t gag to death on the stench of wet leather. He listened to Havoc chattering about his upcoming date, not enlightening him on the fact that he was actually in the process of driving his general to go get a little afternoon delight. It was the perfect time for it. Li-Ying and Miao-Yin had left for the day to go attend some seminar on herbal healing, and Riza had managed to finagle a half day off to match his. Roy swore he’d make himself feverish if need be to prove he was ill still.
Havoc dropped him off. Hayate didn’t greet him so Roy assumed he made it back before Riza. A chill clung to the house. He edged up the heater then started a fire in the living room fireplace before going upstairs to do the same in the bedroom. There was something about a clean burning wood fire. It could almost make him enjoy having fire around him again. Sometimes it was hard to watch the flames. It made him remember. Worse, it made Riza remember what she helped turn him into. Still, it felt good on a day like this, and while it might not be that romantic to either of them, it was better than the banging of steam heat. The steam pipes were just distracting, and gave the house a haunted feel in the middle of the night.
Roy shucked out of his uniform and his boots, opting for clothing that was much easier to get out of, and his sturdy-bottomed leather slippers. One of the many downsides to his metal leg was it destroyed shoes and slippers, and going barefoot ruined the hardwood flooring. Also, it got like ice in the bed at night. He trundled downstairs and poured two glasses of wine. Kicking the slippers off, he propped his metal foot up near the fireplace so at least when they got into bed, he wouldn’t be bringing along an unwanted chill. He rubbed the burn-scarred skin above his prosthesis. His ankle ached like mad on days like this, even though he no longer had a real ankle.
Roy wasn’t sure if the Gate had taken the ankle, or if it had been blown into the hot balloon’s basket when the Gate exploded. Not that it mattered. He had seared the life threatening wound closed and as soon as he was coherent again, he’d contacted Winry. She had been as good as her word about forgiving him for her parents’ deaths. He didn’t really understand why, but he didn’t argue it. She had gotten him back on his feet again and he was grateful.
Roy ran a finger of the Xingese dragon that coursed down his metal leg and over his foot. Winry had had a fit over him transmuting the lucky symbol into his automail. Ed still to this day grouched that he was forbidden to do the same. Testing the metal with his living toes, Roy pulled the foot a little further away from the fire. It also wouldn’t do to give Riza second degree burns. Where was she?
He drank his wine and was on the second glass by the time she made it home. Hayate bounded over to greet him, snow clinging to his winter-thick fur.
“Sorry, Roy. A meeting ran long.” Riza paused to remove her slushy boots before padding over to give him a kiss.
“I’ve just been reminiscing,” he said and she studied his face. Usually he never did that in a good way. “I’m fine. Just thinking about how jealous Ed is over my leg.”
Riza snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”
He got up, handing her the wine glass. He raised his own. “To stolen afternoons.”
She clinked her glass to his. “To more of them in the future.”
“I like how you think.” Roy took a deep swallow of the wine, allowing her to do the same before gathering her in his arms for a deep kiss. “I have a fire started upstairs, too.”
“Mmmm, given how people just let themselves into our home at will, that might be for the best.” Riza set her glass down. “Hayate, you behave. Stay down here.”
There were times Roy really loved that Riza was a disciplinarian. Not having to worry about a dog nosing into their sex life was one of them. He watched her sweep up the stairs just so he could watch her backside. It wasn’t often he got to do that. When Riza was his adjutant, she was always a step behind him, probably watching his ass such as could be seen in that uniform. He missed seeing her at work every day now that she worked for Olivia, but he much rather have her at his side instead of two steps behind.
Riza grabbed him the moment she passed the threshold to their bed room, her lips pressing to his. While she no longer wore a blue uniform, her attire was similar to the military dress she had worn for so many years. Roy didn’t even have to look to skillfully find his way under her shirt to the holster she had tucked around into the small of her back. Once the jacket was off, he’d be able to see her twin shoulder holsters. His brain vacillated between being happy she was so well protected and hating Riza needed any weapons at all.
“You have on too much clothing,” she said, pulling on his shirt.
“You’re reading my mind.” Expert at getting out clothing fast, Roy stripped down and pulled the bedding down while she got out of her holsters. She preferred he didn’t touch them as if she were somehow ashamed of them.
She was down to her bra and underwear by the time he got the thick winter sheets uncovered from the heap of comforters. Roy caught her in his arms, kissing his way from one scarred shoulder to the other. Riza shuddered under his touch as he freed her bra. Roy didn’t linger over her scars or her tattoo, knowing how sensitive she was about it. Riza backed him up against the bed, her fingers tracing a light pattern over the sensitive skin of his cock. Moaning softly, Roy pulled her down onto the bed, unable to think of a time in his life when he was happier than he was now.
XXX
Dev looked up from his game with Mera, hearing his name being called. He waved to Rotem who was busily stomping snow off his feet.
“Play you next round?” Rotem nodded to the Hahb board.
“Sure. Cold enough?” Dev grinned.
“Don't be a dick.” Rotem huffed. “Speaking of which, I think mine froze off.”
“Just what every woman wants to hear,” Mera said drolly and Rotem snorted at her.
“They have a carafe of coffee over there.” Dev pointed.
Rotem grunted, shuffling after it. “Mustang let you two run free?”
“Eh, early day. I think he wanted sex or something. I try not to think about it.” Dev made a face and Mera kicked his ankle. Dev yelped.
“I'm not sure how you two stand working with him.”
“Honestly? It's not so bad. Surprised the hell out of me. He's fairly laid back unless some contractor pisses him off, and then you do not want to be that contractor.” Dev moved two of his stone ‘seeds.’
“How is all of that going? Do you really think it’s going to work?” Rotem sat down with them, a steaming mug cupped in his hands.
“I do,” Dev replied. “We have plans to rebuild Hadimoy and Jahiosaph first. We have the blueprints for schools and a hospital along with other municipal buildings.”
“And they nearly finished those new apartments in the historic Ishbalan district of Central. That’s pretty exciting,” Mera added. “I’ve seen the layout. They’re really nice. They’re a lot like Dev’s apartment, done in traditional Ishbalan color schemes.”
Rotem’s nose wrinkled. “Not everyone is happy that we have the Amestrians helping us.”
“You can’t please everyone. Someone is always going to bitch loudly.” Dev shrugged. “How do you feel about it?”
“You’ve been changing my mind,” Rotem admitted. “You’ve changed the minds of some important priests like Mera’s father.”
Mera nodded, moving her game piece. “Well, my grandfather had a little to do with that, too, but it’s my grandmother’s influence, really. She’s tired of all the fighting.”
“Yeah, I guess I’m seeing that these particular means to the end aren’t so bad after all,” Rotem said. “I know Vashti is interested in the schooling opportunities you guys lined up.”
“Great. They are tempting,” Dev said.
“You thinking of quitting the priesthood?” Rotem pointed to a cup on the board. “She’s going to beat you if you move that.”
“Shut up, Rotem.” Mera said.
“Thanks and no, not really. I’m not that thrilled with herbs, but I like being a priest.” Dev wrinkled his nose. His damaged body limited him to the branch of the priesthood that practiced herbal healing. “Maybe I’ll take some teaching classes.”
“Do you have the patience for that?” Mera moved her stones. “And you just lost.”
“Damn it.” Dev slapped the table. “You distracted me, Rotem.”
“No, you just suck.” His friend grinned. “I should play Mera.”
She shook her head. “You two play. Want some coffee, Dev?”
“Sure if you don’t mind.”
“Not a problem. I saw your leg playing up again,” she said, heading for the carafe.
“Thanks.” Dev set up the game to the start position. “We still going to the movies with Vashti?”
“Yeah, that’s still on. Prepare to get your head handed to you.” Rotem rubbed his hands.
“Please. You’re not a hot woman. I’m not going to get distracted,” Dev snorted.
“It has to be pretty easy to come in and see her every day.” Rotem twisted to look at Mera, then whispered, “But she does have a reputation. You’re not muscular or mean enough for her.”
“She’s looking for something different.” Dev shrugged. “Never really thought it could be me, no matter what Mustang says. He’s like a meddlesome old woman and that friend of his, Hughes, is no better.”
Rotem twisted back around. “You have no shot. She could have anyone.”
“Never count me out.” Dev grumbled, making a move. He hardly needed to be told he was too ugly and scarred for a beautiful woman. “Shut up and play.” No one ever had faith in him but when he thought about it, Dev had to admit maybe Mustang was onto something after all.
XXX
“Thanks for meeting me, Miao-Yin. I know it’s freezing out there.” Al stretched his legs. The library had miserably uncomfortable seats.
“Not a problem. Let’s go somewhere more comfortable. We’re not too far from my favorite tea shop and they now have some pretty special chocolate pots, too.” The young alchemist smiled. “We could have stayed at your place and gone over the notes, Al.”
“No, we’re going to your uncle’s after this,” Al countered. “And I’ll eventually call my brother and tell him it’s too yucky out to come home and I’ll be spending the night in my guest room at Roy’s.”
“Ah, Winry’s home.” Miao-Yin waved for Al to get up.
He gathered up his books, nodding. “And Ed is the noisiest little thing. We’re on two different floors of the house and I still hear him.”
“And you think my uncle’s home will be any less noisy?” Miao-Yin smirked.
“No, but it’s big. The sound doesn’t carry as much.” Al headed for the door then let Miao Yin take the lead.
She laughed. “Mom’s been saying some mean things about her brother since Aunt Riza still isn’t pregnant.”
“It’s only been a few months.”
“Oh, I know, but you know siblings. Well, you never had a sister. They can be mean.”
“Winry was close enough and yes they can,” Al agreed, his arm twitching in remembrance of times Winry punched him as a kid.
“And women can be fun. Speaking of which, there is a Snow Ball in a few weeks. Would you like to go with me?” Miao-Yin’s smile warmed up the frigid air.
Al blushed, sputtering for a second, not sure what to say. “I thought maybe you’d ask Dev to that.”
“I can’t. Uncle Roy might just kill him and Dev can’t go out with alchemists. Poor thing.” Miao-Yin caught a lamp pole with a gloved hand, swinging around it. “He’d really like to though.”
“No doubt. I…I need to think about it, okay? It’s not that I wouldn’t love to but.” Al glanced away, but she caught his cheek with those rough-knit gloves.
“You still miss her. I understand. Just think about it. I don’t know too many people here and I’d like to go,” she said.
“I’m thinking about it,” Al promised. And he was. It might be nice to go out again, but he still missed his fiancée. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Ziata was dead, in another dimension and that he needed to move on. He just needed to think about it before diving in.
XXX
John knew he couldn't resist much longer. He wished that winter hadn't come. Combat boots and snow boots could send a singular thrill up his spine but they didn't make his heart race like a spiked heel. Those were even more prized than combat boots, taking him to such a special place. Oh, the way they made a woman's leg look so long and elegant. How could he resist at all? He had already selected a few women he wanted to follow, not those at the hospital. No, sensible hospital foot gear did nothing for him. At least a combat boot, while inelegant, spoke of power and he loved that. Hospital shoes whispered of varicose veins and unattractive feet.
“Medic, we could use some help over here.” John turned, wiping both hands on his uniform top. His automail fingers spasmed a bit. He needed maintenance. Maybe he’d need to do that before he hunted again. He’d want to be in perfect working order, after all. “Coming, doctor.” It was only a matter of time now.
Chapter Four
Feeling a tug on his robe, Dev looked down to see Ahaava, Uzziel’s granddaughter. The nine year old smiled up at him. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Is that the actress everyone is talking about?” She pointed to Mustang’s sister who was center stage – or at least in the middle of the room in the Ishbalan center – along with Mera and the jerk.
For a moment he was surprised the little girl was talking to him. While he’d known Uzziel half his life, the priest’s grandson and great-granddaughter lived in another encampment and he hadn’t seen them often. Children, on the whole, usually avoided him, afraid of the hooks he had before Winry made him a new hand. The automail hadn’t really changed that reaction much, making Ahaava’s question that more unusual. “Yes, that’s Jun.”
“Aunt Mera looks pretty dancing with her,” Ahaava decided. “The guy is very pretty.”
“Uh…” Dev glanced around, trying to see if Mattan or Uzziel was around to hear Ahaava’s proclamation about Mustang. “Is your dad here?”
“Over there with some boring old men.” She pointed to a corner of the center where Mattan stood with his father and grandfather and a trio of hard-core priests, who were vocal opponents of using any help from Amestris to rebuild. They made Dev nervous, as he wasn’t sure they could be trusted no to kill Roy and kick off another civil war. “Can I see your hand? Dad says you have a metal hand.”
Dev snorted before extending it to her. He’d never seen a kid eager to see his hand, especially a girl. “It’s automail,” he said, trying to divert his attention away from where Mera and Jun were dancing. It was hard to pay attention to a kid when beautiful women were gyrating about, Ishbala forgive him his shallowness. He really would rather watch the women than talk to a kid.
“How does it work?” Ahaava asked, pulling his fingers into the open position.
“No clue. You’d have to ask my mechanic.” Too bad she wasn’t out there dancing with Mera. Or Miao-Yin, or, for that matter Riza. Ishbala, Mustang was a lucky man. “I think she’s around,” Dev said, casting about to see if he could spot Winry, Al and Ed. He knew they had come to hear Jun, if for no other reason than Al had a crush on the woman. Dev didn’t blame him. It didn’t matter that Jun was nearly his mom’s age. Too bad Mustang kept dancing into view, ruining the fantasy that it was Dev in between Mera and Jun. Well, he had danced with them both since Li-Ying and Miao-Yin decided that he needed to make dance part of his physical therapy. It was working. He hardly needed his cane any more except on icy or uneven ground.
“What’s a mechanic? How do you make the fingers move?” Ahaava tried to peer inside his knuckles.
What an odd little girl. “A mechanic makes automail and I think about the movement and the fingers move…sort of. I can’t work it well yet.”
“Ahaava, don’t bother him!”
Dev looked over to see Mattan heading his way, the rest of the priests in tow. “It’s all right. She’s not bothering me. Your daughter is really interested in my automail.”
The priest snorted. “Anything science and she’s interested in it.”
“I don’t mind. I’m used to people looking at it. At least she wants to know how it works. Too bad I can’t tell her. I was looking for my mechanic. She’s here somewhere and would love to talk to Ahaava about it, if that’s okay,” Dev said quickly knowing many of the priests in Mattan’s order, the warriors, were the most xenophobic of his people, for good reason.
“I don’t. We’re just here listening to the music, letting them get to know the locals.” Mattan nodded to the older priests next to his father and grandfather, while gesturing toward Roy.
Dev nodded. By mutual agreement, they decided to let the visiting priests meet Mustang before telling them who he was. None of them seemed to recognize him, and it had been Aris’s and Dev’s original idea to let them get to know him as he really was. After all, these priests had all voted to put Mustang to death before losing the vote. Of course, Dev hadn’t expected Mustang to join in with his sister and her band of pacifists and make a dancing fool of himself. However, it might be a good thing, letting them get to see a lighter, non-military side of Mustang and, to Dev’s perpetual disappointment in his quest to find something Mustang sucked at, the man did dance well enough to blend into Jun’s troupe.
“I don’t see where Winry is though,” Dev said, thinking she was probably off in a back room doing unspeakable things to the shrimp. He might like Ed – a lot really. He was an interesting friend – but he didn’t want to think about Winry and Ed. Nothing would change the fact Winry had been Dev’s first love, even if he had messed it up. Dev almost wished that he hadn’t. Getting dumped might be better than knowing he’d been an ass. Of course, the few Ishbalan friends he had would have probably deserted him if he hadn’t left her, leaving him almost pointless in his job as liaison between the younger Ishbalans and the new government.
“Aw, I wanna know how it works.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her that. She’d love to tell you all about it until you don’t want to hear any more,” Dev said, ignoring Mattan’s chuckle. “And we’re about to get a visit from a dignitary.” He pointed to Jun, who headed their way with Roy and Mera in tow.
“Ahaava, go find your mother,” Mattan said. She opened her mouth to protest but one look from her father and she scurried off.
Dev figured he didn’t want her around if something happened between Mustang and the priests. “You guys finally tiring out?” he asked, hoping to head off any tension, not that he had a prayer in hell of doing that.
“Someone has to get to work. He’s been taking too many days off with pneumonia or some nonsense.” Jun slapped Roy’s back and he scowled.
“Have you been enjoying the show?” Mustang directed that to the consul of elder priests. He knew in general who they were, thanks to Aris, but Dev doubted he knew them by name or that they wanted Mustang dead.
“Yes, though I didn’t expect to see so many non-Ishbalans in our center,” Shelar said.
“That’s the purpose of the center,” Jun said. “And of my group, bringing people together. It is harder to hate someone if you understand them better.”
Dev couldn’t tell how the older priest took that bit of wisdom, but the pinching of his face probably didn’t bode well.
“It’s exciting to be a part of it,” Mera said, gesturing around the center. “And it looked like everyone is enjoying it.”
Her father, Kennan, nodded. “I’d say so.”
“Good. I enjoyed talking to you guys earlier,” Mustang said, “but you’ll have to excuse me.”
Dev stared at him. When the hell did Mustang have time to talk to the priests? He’d only turned his back a few minutes to talk to the Elrics and Winry. Mustang went to the dressing screen in the corner that some of the professional singers had been using to do costume changes.
“That man isn’t sane,” Shelar said, and Dev nearly choked. Mustang really had spoken to them if they knew that.
“You can say that again. If there’s anything you need me to do, Uzziel, Kennan, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll pick up another set here in a minute,” Jun said.
“Whatever you’d like to do. We’re really enjoying it,” Uzziel said, beaming like a school boy at her.
“Oh, good. Come on Mera.” She put her arm around the other woman. “She’s going to solo for us,” Jun told Kennan.
“I’ll be looking forward to that,” he replied and Mera beamed.
“Thanks Dad.”
Dev watched the two ladies walk off but Kennan interrupted the view when he said, “Get his attention for me, Dev.” He pointed to Roy.
“Hey, Jackass!” Dev called across and Roy’s head popped up over the dressing screen.
“What?”
“Do you have time to talk to us before you go?” Kennan shot Dev a sour look.
“Sure. Just let me get my shirt on,” Roy said.
“There is something we need to tell you about him,” Uzziel told Shelar and the others.
“Oh?”
Before Uzziel could explain, an explosion rocked the center. For a moment, Dev thought the building was going to come down, but through the screams, he realized the explosion was from outside. Mustang raced out from behind the screen, pulling his Military jacket on as he went.
Dev ran after him, his bad leg shrieking in protest, but he didn’t slow. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Elrics following them. Kennan and the priests were right behind him. The slummy Ishbalan housing complex down the street was in flames. As Dev watched Roy run inside the building, he heard sirens in the distance.
“Brother, no!” Al grabbed Ed’s arm as the whole front of the apartment complex spewed flames. “We can’t get in there.”
Dev didn’t want in there. He had no idea why he was even standing in front of a burning building. His bladder was only two seconds away for going into business for itself.
“We have to do something!” Ed protested.
“Running into a burning building isn’t going to do it,” Winry said, making Dev wonder when she’d joined them. She pointed to the upper level. “Maybe a slide if anyone is trapped on the second floor.”
“We could do that,” Ed said.
“Something’s happening,” Dev said as the flames died down in front of the building. He heard Kennan or maybe Mattan swearing behind him. Someone was sobbing, several someones. The door slammed open and Mustang carried an old woman outside. She was doing her best to rip him apart. Behind them were several more people, pushing to get through the door. Dev ran forward with his friends, not sure how long Mustang could hold back the flames.
Dev held a hand out to the old woman. “Come on, grandma, he’s got you free of the fire.”
“Do you know who he is?” she coughed as Mustang let her go. “He probably caused it.”
“He didn’t. Come on, help’s coming,” Dev said as Ed tried to push past Roy.
Roy stopped Ed. “No, you don’t. I can’t control the flames as precisely as I once did. I can’t see half of what I need to,” Mustang said, ripping Al’s scarf off from around his neck. He buried it in the snow to wet it down. “You two stay out here, sublimate some snow. Make it rain.”
“There are kids up on the second floor,” one of the rescued Ishbalans said. “Did they get out?”
Dev suddenly realized the screaming wasn’t behind him. It was from inside. Mustang was already going back in. Sweat dripped down his torso seeing the panicked faces pressed to the glass of an upstairs window. Ed clapped his hands, dropping to the ground. A slide ripped upward from the transmuted ground, positioning itself under the window. Hearing people screaming, “Slide!” Dev joined in, in Ishbalan, but the young kids were too terrified or unable to open the window.
Al planted his hands into a snow bank that slowly dwindled, turning to vapor that recondensed over the roof when the heat hit it. An older teen joined the little kids at the window, yanking it open.
"Get out there," Mustang's voice, thick and choked, thundered over the roar of the fire. "Just slide down."
Three of the littlest kids didn't need to be told twice, hitting the slide hard and fast. Dev, Winry and the Elrics helped pick the kids up, getting them swiftly out of the way of others on the way down.
"I can't do this," the older boy who had opened the window said.
"You have to," Mustang argued. "The floor is giving way!"
"Come on, we'll catch you," Winry called, but the boy shook his head.
Mustang shouted, "Ed, Al, give me a net."
The brothers ripped off their coats and transmuted them into a net tied between the slide and a tree.
“Hurry up,” Dev called up. “Ignore the fact it’s alchemy!”
"I can't jump either!" the boy cried. “It’s too high!”
"Wanna bet." Mustang took two steps back then hit the boy running, knocking him out the window using his shoulder.
That's when Dev realized Mustang had something cradled against his chest. The boy shrieked all the way down, Mustang tucked up as he followed. A loud crack shattered the air as the floor collapsed, sending gouts of flame out the window. Dev missed the flaming tatters floating in the air, settling on his robe between his shoulders, as he moved in to help the terrified young Ishbalan off the makeshift net. Ed tried to help Mustang up. The general freed one hand up from the bundle on his chest, waving that hand oddly at Dev. Figuring Mustang wanted something, Dev moved closer, seeing the bundle was a baby. The infant coughed then wailed. Mustang choked as well, suffering from the smoke. Winry took the baby from him.
“Get everyone back,” Roy rasped. “I can’t keep this from burning down, but I can keep it from spreading.”
“We’ll do what we can,” Ed said.
“The fire trucks are here,” Al pointed to the roadway.
“And ambulances. Let’s get you and the baby there.” Winry ignored Mustang’s protests, assuring him he could see and control his fire from the back of an ambulance as well as he could half dead on his feet just a few yards closer to the building.
Dev watched them go, then helped Alphonse, who had started to examine the kids Roy evacuated from the second story to be sure they were all right. Unable to help them, Ed joined in with the firefighters, transmuting snow to vapor, then finally helping with the hoses.
“We should have the medics look at them,” Al said. “I’m still just beginning my training.”
“Right. Follow me,” Dev told the Ishbalan children. A little girl curled her finger around his hand. The boy Mustang had shoved out the window followed on trembling legs.
Dev saw Kennan, Uzziel, and other priests also descending on the waiting ambulances. His mother knelt on the ground, examining the flesh just above a docking port for an automail leg embossed with dragons. Next to her, Winry examined the scorched metal.
“Mom, these are the kids who were in the building. Al and I looked them over, but we think someone else with more experience should too, as soon as you’re done,” he said, watching Mustang holding an oxygen mask over the baby’s face, the infant cradled in one arm. His own mask hung haphazardly over his mouth and nose.
“I’m fine. Go look at the kids,” Mustang said through the mask. “They should take the baby to the hospital now.”
“I can transfer her to another ambulance,” a medic said. “But you should go too, General Mustang.”
“I am fine. Take care of the kids.” Roy pulled the mask off. “They should be able to handle the fire now. I’ve kept it from spreading.”
“You look exhausted,” Uzziel said.
Roy nodded, dragging out the back of the ambulance, brushing past Winry and Hala. “I’ll be in the center. Come get me if the fire gets out of hand.”
“We will,” Dev assured him, watching the alchemist stagger back to the Ishbalan Centre, ignoring his audience. Hearing his mother asking him for help, Dev turned back to the business at hand.
XXX
Maybe he should have gone to the hospital. Riza would kick his ass when she caught up with him. Roy couldn’t quite find a place to get comfortable in, settling for stretching out on a couch in the centre’s reading room while Talya fetched him water and handkerchiefs to cough up soot-stained gunk into. His whole respiratory system felt scorched, and the telltale hint of oil rode his upper lip. People had died in that fire. No, explosion, and he had already put in a cough-ridden call to Armstrong and Hughes to alert them to the possible sedition.
“Are you sure you won’t go to the hospital, sweetie?” Talya brushed his hands back.
Roy rubbed his eyes. The glass one felt like it had been coated in sand. His socket throbbed. “I just need to rest.”
“Drink all that water. You’re no doubt dehydrated. Your sister is helping everyone outside. I should go get her and make her take you to see a doctor. You’ve always been a stubborn ass.” Talya put her hands on her hips, glaring at him.
“Love you, too, Tally.”
“Uh-oh.” Tally nodded toward the door where Uzziel and Kennan stood with the priests Roy didn’t know. He only knew they hated him. Dev and Hala were behind them. “Priests are never fun.”
“You like Dev,” Roy reminded his childhood friend.
“Only because that child is a tall, good-looking, drink of water,” Talya corrected him. “Need me to stay with you?”
“No, I could probably use more water, though.”
Talya didn’t look happy about the dismissal, but she went off to get him another glass. Roy struggled into a sitting position.
“I needed to talk to you, Uzziel, Kennan.” Roy eyed the men with the two older priests, but they offered no introductions. They hadn’t earlier either when he and Jun spoke to them briefly.
“It was a bomb, wasn’t it?” Kennan asked.
Roy nodded wearily. “Definitely.”
“How can you be sure?” one of the unnamed priests asked.
“I’m more than familiar with them,” Roy replied. “I think they made a mistake in making the bomb. They died in the fire.”
“People died in that.” Dev glanced back at the door he had just come through. “You’re sure?”
“That smell, sort of like a roast? Trust me, I know that smell,” Roy said and Dev’s dark skin turned a pasty shade as he gagged. “I had to report it to my superiors.”
“Of course,” Uzziel said then added a few swear words in Ishbalan. “How soon will they be here?”
“Not sure but soon,” Roy said, then broke down into coughing.
“You really should go to the hospital,” Hala said.
“I’m fine. My eye hurts though. I should go home soon and take it out.”
Dev walked through the door and into the area that still housed their makeshift offices awaiting the completion of their new on-base office. He came back out with a specimen jar from his and Aris’s supply chest. He had one of Roy’s eye patches dangling from his automail hand. “Here, go put it in here.”
“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me.” Roy disappeared into the rest room and plucked out the glass eye. He hated staring at his face with the empty socket ‘looking’ back at him but he forced himself to study it. Unsurprisingly, the tissue was beefy red and swollen, and the glass eye turned the water he put in the specimen cup gray from ash. His wish that the strange – and rather obviously hostile – new priests would be gone by the time he got back out to the main room went unfulfilled.
Talya had given Dev Roy’s glass of water, fussing over the young priest. The musician would have been a great mother, though she would have to have been actually female in the first place. Roy went over and clapped a hand on Dev’s shoulder. “Have you calmed down any?”
“I’m better off than you,” Dev replied, giving him a long look.
“Good. I didn’t want you to get home and have a panic attack when you took off your robe,” Roy said.
“Huh?” Dev’s nose wrinkled and Roy took the glass of water from him.
“Your robe caught fire.”
Dev nearly knocked him over, jumping up. He tore off his robe and saw the hole burnt into it. Dropping the robe, he gagged, then raced for the bathroom, hand over his mouth.
Roy turned to Hala. “Yeah, I didn’t think he was okay.”
“I saw the damage but was waiting until we were alone,” Dev’s mother replied. “But that might not get to happen. I should probably get to the hospital. They might need help with all the smoke inhalation cases coming in from this. You should be one of them.” She nailed him with a perfect mother talking to petulant child look.
“This is not the first time I’ve been exposed to a little smoke. I’ll be just fine,” Roy replied and the newcomer priests mumbled amongst themselves.
“You are even more bullheaded than my son,” Hala huffed.
“I am. I admit it. Speaking of your stubborn son, you might want to check him for burns. You know how his sensations aren’t entirely intact. Did you see that the fire scorched his shirt, too?” he asked as Dev made a reappearance, still pale.
Hala shook her head. “Son, take your shirt off. I want to check out your back.”
“What the hell?” Dev yanked the shirt off, examining the hole burnt into it. For a moment Roy thought he was going to turn and run back to the bathroom. “How the hell didn’t I notice I was on fucking fire!”
“I put it out,” Roy replied.
Dev looked at him as his mother ran her hands over his scarred back. “Was that what you were doing after you jumped? I thought you were just being commanding.”
“I figured you’ve had enough of fire for one life time,” Roy said.
“I’d say he has,” Kennan growled, staring at Dev, then seemed to realize what he was doing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…I knew you’d been burned. I just didn’t know how extensive it was.”
“It doesn’t get any prettier the rest of the way down,” Dev grumbled.
“You’re pretty enough,” Talya said coming over with a glass and Dev rolled his eyes. “Here, ginger beer. Jun keeps it around. It’ll settle that stomach for you. I fixed it up a bit.”
Dev took a drink and coughed. “A bit? I think there’s a half a glass of desert rose whiskey in here.”
Talya waved him off. “It’ll relax you.”
“Or knock me out.” Dev looked over his shoulder. “Am I okay, Mom? It doesn’t hurt.”
“You have a little redness between your shoulders. Sit tight and I’ll get some aloe. You’ll be fine, better than Mustang is,” Hala said, patting her son’s shoulder before heading into the back where the supply chest was.
“Dev, go on home,” Uzziel said. “There is no need for you to sit through a military interrogation. If Mustang’s men need to talk to you, they can do it tomorrow. Kennan, Aris and I can handle this.”
“Technically they’re Hughes’s men, and if they need Dev today they know where to find him,” Roy said. “I better call Havoc to give me a ride home.”
“Please, I called Riza ages ago,” Talya said. “She’s probably outside trying to weave her way through the madness.”
“Oh. I should go look for her.” Roy sighed. “It is really hard dealing with fire when you can’t see half of it.”
“You managed,” Kennan said. “You also managed to save several lives so thank you for that.”
The other priests looked almost confused as to how to react to that. It fell too far outside of their expectations for him, Roy realized.
“This is one of the reasons I learned this alchemy,” Roy reminded them.
“Could you take Dev back to his place?” Hala asked.
“No, we lost power. They said it wouldn’t be on until tomorrow,” Dev said. “I was going to ask you if I could stay on the couch, Mom.”
She nodded. “Of course, but I’d rather not have you sitting around by yourself after being on fire again. I have to go to the hospital.”
Roy reached over and clamped a hand on Dev’s arm. “Put on a jacket. I’ll take him home with me.”
“Good. Your niece is there, right? With those acupuncture needles? He’ll probably be stiff after running around out there.”
Dev sighed. “Don’t fuss, Mom. Come on, Mustang. Let’s go find your wife.”
“If you need me, call,” Roy said to Uzziel and Kennan. He hoped they wouldn’t. What he didn’t want to say was he didn’t want to be alone any more than Dev did. Ishbalans dying in flames stirred up things Roy didn’t want to face. He headed out into the smoke-filled cold, hoping Riza was, in fact, out there and would take him out of this place.
XXX
The one type of woman he’d look at while at work was the secretaries. They wore such wonderful pumps, making their breasts and buttocks more prominent. He didn’t often get to see them. They didn’t come to the patient rooms where he worked, but occasionally he’d catch sight of them in the cafeteria or in the parking lot.
Miss Phillipa Penny wore her heels higher than most, even in weather like this. She had legs he wanted to lick his way down, not that she would ever look at a medic like him. She had her eyes on the big money, the hospital president she worked for. He was surprised she even bothered to come down to the cafeteria at all.
She was on her way home so he started to follow her out.
“Medic Pandur, where are you going?”
He turned to face Dr. Yates. “On break.”
“Sorry, you’ll have to take it later. There was an apartment fire. We’re going to get a little busy,” Yates said. “I need you to get down to the ER.”
He sighed, watching Miss Penny go out the door. “Yes, sir.” Oh well, there would be other days to make her his. Days when the town wasn’t already jumpy. Yes, a quiet winter night was better suited to his plans anyhow.
To chapter five
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no subject
Date: 2012-03-12 12:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-12 02:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-12 07:27 pm (UTC)Okay, Ahaava is so adorable. <3 I'm a sucker for kids very curious how things work, lol. And heh, it so would be Roy to not want to go to the hospital.
Like Suzume, the bits with John (I'm assuming that's his name, right?) are quite nice and makes me wonder what he's planning now. Chapters 5 and 6 I should be able to read them later tonight!
no subject
Date: 2012-03-12 08:08 pm (UTC)Ahaava was meant to have a MUCH larger role and I guess when I do the fourth (kill me now) story she'll figure back in
Yes John is his name. Glad you're enjoying this. Thanks
no subject
Date: 2012-03-13 05:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-13 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-13 06:19 pm (UTC)Okay she didn't give a youtube link to the song but she still mentions it. XD
no subject
Date: 2012-03-13 06:30 pm (UTC)