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cornerofmadnessSorrow’s Dark Array
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cornerofmadness
Disclaimer - not mine, all characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa et al, Square Enix and funimition.
Pairing – Roy/Riza, Ed/Win (eventually) Winry/OC, mentions of Maes/Gracia and Al/OC
Rating – will vary from chapter to chapter, mostly Pg-13 but will eventually contain well marked adult chapters.
Time Line – anime based, spoilers all the way through the anime and the movie and does have strong manga elements such as Armstrong’s older sister and the land of Xing
Summary – As Roy and Riza prepare for their wedding, while dodging assassins, Ed and Al try to find their way back home.
Author’s Note #1– This was written after much prodding byevil_little_dog as a sequel to the source of sorrow and is now her holiday gift even if she has beta’ed part of it. So thanks to her and lyricnonsense for the beta. You do not have to read the first story to understand this. You’ll quickly pick up that Riza has retired from the military to be Roy’s wife and bodyguard. Olivia Armstrong is now president and she’s assigned Roy as the ambassador to Ishbal; oh and that Roy was severely injured in the destruction of the Gate, requiring some of Winry’s automail.
Author's Note #2 - This is a longer work and like real relationships, the ones listed in the pairings, take time to mend and come together. They have to work at it. Hope you enjoy the ride.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter eight
Chapter nine
chapter ten
chapter eleven
chapter twelve
chapter thirteen
chapter fourteen
chapter fifteen
chapter sixteen
chapter seventeen
chapter eighteen
chapter nineteen
Chapter twenty
Chapter twenty-one
Chapter twenty-two
“Days of absence, sad and dreary, Clothed in sorrow's dark array, Days of absence, I am weary; She I love is far away.” – Shakespeare
Chapter Twenty-Three
The journey is my home. -Muriel Rukeyser
Roy opened his front door, padding gingerly around on his metal foot. His hangover was mild but enough to make him forget his slippers. Opening the door and seeing Aris and Hala, he laughed, waving them inside. “You did come back.” He waved them in. “Dev is still dead to the world. Winry and Riza are making breakfast. Would you like some?”
“Thank you, no. We ate,” Hala said, something akin to shameful joy gleaming in her red eyes.
“Well, we have tea and coffee, too. Come on back to the kitchen.” Roy led the way.
“I’m surprised to see you awake and so functional.” Hala’s appraising gaze swept over Roy.
“He’s a little more…practiced than your son,” Aris said and Roy snorted. “I suppose the leftover concussions aren’t slowing him down either.”
“I do have a headache but I’ll survive. I took one of my hangover cures.” Roy gestured for them to precede him.
Winry and Riza looked up as they walked into the kitchen. A pile of scrambled eggs and bacon sat in the middle of the table. Hughes was slumped over his coffee and Ed was busy glaring so hotly at Roy, the alchemist was amazed there weren’t scorch marks on the table.
“Hello,” Riza said. “Can we get you anything?”
“The coffee sounded good,” Aris said, pulling a chair out for Hala.
“Tea is fine.”
“Ed’s not talking to me,” Roy said, sitting down to some eggs and bacon on his temporarily abandoned plate. “If I didn’t fear for Al’s health, I’d take him out every night to get a morning so peaceful.”
“Roy, don’t make me kill you,” Winry said, thumping him on the shoulder with her spoon and he winced.
“He might have a point,” Hughes snorted and Ed turned the glare on him.
“I suppose it’s even more peaceful because my son is still unconscious.” Hala sighed. “You bring out the very worst in him.”
“Roy’s good at that.” Riza looked up from her coffee with a faint smile. “For some reason, he brings out the worst in this generation’s young men.”
“Not so good with his own generation, either,” Winry said, gesturing at Hughes, who groaned in response.
“I had a great time.” Hughes pried one eye open to look at Winry. “Just great.”
“You probably didn’t throw up as much as Al did, either.” Winry arched her eyebrows at Hughes.
“I’m holding you accountable for that, too.” Ed pointed at Hughes.
“Hey, we did not pour alcohol into anyone with a funnel,” Roy protested, taking a bite.
“We considered it. Well, actually, Dev considered it but we talked him out of it.” Hughes peered owlishly through his glasses. “I guess Ishbalans know how to shotgun beer. Al even helped with that one. Talking him out of it, I mean.”
“That reminds me. I have to tell you about the time I built a bong out of a pumpkin!” Roy stabbed some eggs, a funny little grin on his face
Hala cocked her head, studying Roy in horror. “How are you even still alive?”
“God doesn’t want him,” Aris said wryly.
Roy flipped him an obscene gesture, snickering. “Hey Hughes, did you finish the roll at the bar?”
Hughes brightened. “Oh yeah, thanks. Riza, where can I take a roll of film to be developed?”
“Don’t blame me. I didn’t give him a camera.” Ed leaned his chin in his hand, seeing Riza’s ‘help me’ expression. “But I can’t wait to see these pictures.” His wolfish smile glittered.
“I didn’t catch your brother doing anything inappropriate.” Hughes sniffed then winced, putting his fingers to his temples.
“Did you forget the barflies?” Roy’s smirk flashed then faded as he downed some coffee.
“Oh, yeah.”
“You let some skanky woman hit on Al?” Ed roared and Hughes clamped a hand over his ears.
“No, we shooed them off.” Roy turned, hearing a moan in the other room. “I think you woke the dead, Edward.”
“We’d better check on them,” Winry said, getting up.
Roy got up, beckoning gleefully. “This will be like theatre.”
“You’re so twisted.” Hughes laughed, following Winry and the other ladies into the living room. Ed, Aris and Roy followed him.
Dev sat up on the rug, coughing. “My lungs are burning. My head hurts .”
“That’s because you have a massive rug burn on it,” Roy told him smugly.
“Do not.” He put a hand to his forehead then jerked it away. “What did you do to me, you stupid fu…uh, Mom? Why are you here?”
“Mom? I’m not your mother. You said so last night,” Hala replied pleasantly.
“You were here?” Dev whimpered.
“And I didn’t do anything to you.” Roy rolled his eyes.
“Like you’d remember,” Ed grumbled.
“I know where I’d be checking if I had a face full of rug burn,” Hughes added, ignoring Roy and Dev’s glares.
“Shut the hell…” Dev turned green and he lurched to his feet, darting toward the bathroom.
“Don’t you step on my brother in there!” Ed shouted after him loud enough to make Hughes wince. He turned a wicked grin on Roy “You’re right, this is like theatre.”
“It won’t be if you have to clean that bathroom,” Winry reminded him.
“They puke on it, they clean it. I’ve already cleaned up after Al once.” Ed shuddered.
“Technically, I did,” Winry shot back and he shrugged.
“Hughes, give me that roll of film,” Riza held out her hand. “I’m going to town with the ladies to go wedding shopping again . I’ll have Fuery develop it. He’ll be thrilled to do it as quickly as possible.”
“Let me go get it.” Hughes headed back for the downstairs guest room.
“So, this Hughes is a shutterbug, too?” Winry asked quietly.
“Oh, yes,” Roy replied. “Uncanny.” He turned to Hala. “Going to make sure your son doesn’t drown in the toilet?”
“If he drowns, he drowns.” She shrugged. “He’s a big boy now.”
“She’s just here to watch him suffer,” Aris offered. His expression said that was his plan as well.
“It’s every mother’s right to give her son that ‘idiot’ look,” Winry said. “Or in my case, Granny’s right.”
“I wasn’t the only one to get that look.” Ed narrowed his eyes at Winry. “I remember you getting that look, too.”
“Did anyone mention your name?” Winry asked sweetly.
“He recognized the description.” Riza laughed.
“In all honesty, I’m glad Dev is out doing things like this.” Hala glanced at Roy. “Whether or not I like that it’s your influence he’s under, I can’t deny it’s been good for my son. Going out to bars and having fun is a normal thing for a young man to do and he’s never done it before. I’m not sure he’s ever been hung-over before, though you’re probably in a better position to say.” She sighed. “Just don’t tell Dev I approve. It’ll ruin the ‘mom thing’.”
“Couldn’t have that. Takes away all the fun of him twisting in the wind,” Roy said as Hughes came back.
“Here, develop away but keep it secret until you do. Who knows what an alchemist might do to it,” Hughes cautioned, dropping the roll of film into Riza’s hand.
“Oh, I can imagine,” she replied, tucking it into her pocket as Dev came back out of the bathroom, Al trailing behind him.
“Why was I on the floor?” Al muttered, stumbling along, eyes barely open.
“Don’t you remember last night?” Ed drummed his hands on the marble mantle piece making just about everyone wince, even those not at the bar all night.
“Bits of it.” Al’s nose wrinkled. “I feel horrible. Roy, did I get sick on your hedges? The little ones out front? I remember getting sick…and them talking to me.”
“YOU PUKED ON ME!” Ed bellowed, making even the non-hung over people shield their ears.
“Ishbala! How can something so little be so loud?” Dev groaned, his face going greyer as if he might vomit again.
“I’m not little.” Ed went to stab a finger into Dev’s chest then thought better of it. “I’m just not freakishly tall.”
“I puked on you?” Al asked puzzled.
“Twice,” Winry replied. “I had to hose you both off. It was the highlight of my evening.”
“Sorry,” Al muttered, rubbing his neck. “Can I go sleep in a real bed now?”
“No, you two need to get breakfast and then we’re heading to the Ishbalan center to do some work,” Roy replied.
“I don’t actually work for you, you know,” Al said, shooting him an unhappy look.
“You’re making me work? I’m about to die,” Dev moaned.
His mother patted his back, trying hard not to smile. “Get to work, slacker.”
He pouted at her. “Thanks, Mom.”
“And Alphonse, you and Edward are still on Roy duty for the rest of the week as punishment for sneaking into my bathroom, remember?” Riza smiled. “Whatever he wants, he gets.”
“He already drank me to death, doesn’t that count?” Al whimpered.
“I what?” Roy’s eye slotted. “Again, I didn’t hold anyone down and use a funnel. You two are just lucky Hughes and I switched you to water well before we left the bar.”
“We have a big breakfast cooked for you two,” Winry said sweetly. “Nice scrambled eggs. Come and get it.”
Dev and Al exchanged looks then nearly knocked each other down getting back to the bathroom with Winry laughing at them.
X X X
“I get why we’re here. It’s punishment,” Ed muttered, glancing up from his book as he sat reading in Aris’ office. “But why did you come, Winry?”
“Riza got called away to work so no shopping. Li-Ying and Miao-Yin went to go get groceries and frankly, I feared knowing what they might be buying.” Winry shrugged, not actually looking up from her Mechanic’s Monthly magazine. “I might as well come watch the living dead at work.”
“You can be so mean,” Al grumbled, stretched out on the rug since Dev had flung himself on the couch, refusing to be budged.
“You’re just realizing that?” Ed braced for the punch he knew was coming.
“I’m nice ,” Winry protested, disappointing him by not punching him.
“Aren’t you supposed to be working, Dev?” Aris asked cheerily.
“I am, working in my head.” His metal hand flailed around the general area of his head.
“Actually, you need to get up and go see if that friend of yours is here yet,” Roy said. “I want to talk to him about the soldiers harassing him.”
Dev moaned. “Then Al will steal my couch.”
“Move before we alchemize you to it,” Roy replied. Grumbling, Dev got up and left the room. Al slithered onto the couch. Roy turned to Aris. “So, how much you want to bet he comes back with at least three people?”
“No bet because Rotem, Vashti and Dev are pretty much attached at the hip or were until he started dating someone without red eyes.” The priest glanced at Winry. “No offense.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not a secret how they felt about me,” Winry said, her hurt still evident in her tone.
“It’s really unfair,” Al mumbled into the couch pillows.
“Lots of things in our world are,” Aris agreed as Dev returned with Vashti, Anah and Rotem, the young man sporting a black eye. Another young man the Amestrians hadn’t met before was with them. Al sat up, looking grim at the sight of the battered young men. Aris and Roy looked equally as unhappy.
“This is Onur.” Dev swept his hand to the youth who had a strawberry on his cheek. “He was with Rotem.”
Aris stood up. “Tell us about what happened.”
Onur glanced at Rotem, who shrugged and started the story. “We were downtown, I was getting groceries for Mom and these three soldiers started hassling us. I swear we didn’t say anything to them.”
“We didn’t. There was just the two of us and they had guns. That would have been criminally stupid,” Onur added.
“What did they say?” Roy folded his hands together, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“The usual crap, a host of red-eye slurs, telling us to go home and get out of their city.” Rotem fingered the dark bruise under his eye. “Then one of them hit me.”
“Did you provoke them?” Aris asked.
Rotem and Onur exchanged glances then turned to Dev who shook his head.
“I don’t care if you said stuff back,” Roy said. “They have no business starting up with you in the first place and definitely no call to be hitting anyone unless you got physical with them.”
“We didn’t,” Rotem replied quickly. “I guess I did tell them to leave us alone, probably not as nicely as I could have.”
“Rotem,” Onur hissed. “Don’t give him reasons to side with them.”
“He won’t,” Dev promised, putting a hand on Onur’s arm to settle him. “Mustang will deal with this.”
“I actually believe that, I guess.” Rotem shrugged.
“Rotem?” Vashti sent him a querulous look.
“I do,” Rotem replied. “But I didn’t say anything that deserved a gun butt to the face.”
“I tried to grab him up and get out of there but that’s when they hit me,” Onur said, lifting his shirt to reveal bruised ribs. “We even lost all the groceries.” Fury danced in his eyes at the loss of their food.
Leaning forward intently, Ed asked, “Have you seen these guys before?”
“Yeah, they’re stationed there all the time and they always hassle us,” Rotem said.
“Let me make a few calls and you’re going to take me down there,” Roy said, reaching for the phone.
“You’re not in uniform. Will they listen to you?” Onur asked, his expression dubious.
“He doesn’t want to be in uniform,” Dev said, nodding in agreement to what he assumed Roy’s plan was. “I’ve seen people say derogatory things to him when he’s out of uniform, like calling him a squint. You want them to think all of us are up to something with you.” He addressed that to Roy.
Mustang nodded, cupping a hand over the receiver. “And Fullmetal, I doubt they’re going to recognize him. Let them think it’s a big conspiracy. Ladies, I’m going to ask you to sit this out.”
“We can help,” Anah protested.
“I’m sure but too large a group and I can’t protect you all. I know, you can protect yourself, but I have all the civilians to think about, too. Alex Louis,” Roy said into the phone. “I have an investigation for you.”
After a brief conversation, Mustang hung up. “In a half hour, Strongarm will have a few of his men in place. Hughes, he’ll want you to join him at the fountain in the center of town, in half that time. He’ll probably use you to get closer to the action, if there is any. Alex Louis isn’t really made for undercover.”
Hughes snorted. “You don’t say.”
“Edward, you will join me, Rotem, Onur and Dev.” Roy squinted at Dev, glad he had worn his glass eye today. He had suspected he might want both eyes seen. They might have associated the distinctive patch with the Flame Alchemist. “Or are you too hung over?”
“I can do this,” Dev grumbled. “I want to.”
“I figured.” Roy got to his feet, giving Dev a pat on the shoulder as he walked by.
“I can help,” Al offered, brushing his hair back away from bloodshot eyes.
“No way,” Ed snapped. “You take Winry home. This is no place for civilians.”
“As if you’re really a soldier,” Al’s eyes slotted. “Or any of them.” He nodded to the Ishbalan youths.
“And I don’t have to be escorted home, Edward.” Winry glowered at him.
“And you can’t come with us,” Ed insisted.
“He’s right, Alphonse. I can’t sanction risking you. Technically, Aris would be risking these young men,” Roy said.
“They need to do this. We want to find some sort of lasting peace but with people like that, it won’t happen,” Aris said, thumping his hand down on the table.
“It can be dangerous,” Roy said. “I know I don’t have to tell you that. Investigations will be there and they will be armed. I need only one thing from you four, your words that you will let me handle this. I can protect you but only if you do what I say and I know that’s asking a lot since half of you don’t like me and the other half love doing exactly the opposite of what I say.”
“I’ll listen,” Ed said reluctantly, “But don’t forget what I can do.”
“I don’t forget things like that,” Roy assured him. “I’ll be counting on your abilities, Edward. Dev, as for you and your friends, if you have any weapons, now would be the time to go stash them someplace here. We do not want to add any fuel to the fire. If you’re unarmed, they’ll have no reason to pull their weapons.”
“You know we’re not allowed to carry weapons,” Dev said.
Roy offered up a flat smile. “Yes, so now would be the time to make sure you’re actually not.”
Dev snorted, waving his two companions to follow him. The ladies went with them, looking unhappy about staying behind. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“I’d better get going,” Hughes said. “Are you going to get a message to Riza?”
“If I can. If I get shot again, I better hope for death,” Roy said, with barely a hint of rumor. “Riza will kill me otherwise.”
“I hate this plan,” Winry said. “I’m tired of people I care about getting hurt.”
Ed smirked. “It won’t be us getting hurt.”
Winry didn’t look convinced but Ed ignored that. He had to.
XXX
“Okay with that hat on you look like you should be working in a laundry,” Ed said as they walked down the street.
Roy eyed him sourly, fingering the silk cap he wore. “Why do you think I never wear this stuff?”
“At least you fit in with us foreigners,” Dev said wryly. “I still feel like death.”
Roy tugged on the cap again. “I’d have let you stay at home if I could but it was better this way. All blood shot and baggy eyed, you really look disreputable.”
“Bite me.”
“You do.” Rotem chuckled.
Ed laughed a little, too, but sobered up quickly enough when he wondered if he was still good in a fight. It had been a few years since he’d last been in one. That was all he needed, to get himself killed now. At least he wouldn’t die a virgin but he wanted to live long enough to get good at sex. Not to mention Winry might do rude things to his corpse if he managed to die on her now.
“And your soldiers, they’ll be hiding there, right?” Onur asked, his shifting eyes showing his nervousness.
Roy nodded. “I made sure of it.”
“This had better not be the first time they actually ignore us,” Rotem fretted. “I guess we would look pretty scary to someone who doesn’t like outsiders. A bunch of desert dogs, a slant and a rather disreputable-looking kid.”
“I’m the same age as you ,” Ed grumbled. “Give or take a year.”
“Really?” Rotem’s eyes widened.
“And I’m as tall as the bastard,” Ed huffed, looking pleased at that.
“Not quite,” Roy replied.
“And Mustang looks like he’s a teenager half the time, too,” Dev replied. “Okay, so what are we doing? Just wandering around until we get hassled?”
“That’s the plan and when it happens let me deal with it,” Roy reminded.
“Great plan. Stumble around like idiots,” Ed snorted.
“We seem to be well qualified,” Dev replied. “They’re going to think we’re corrupting this little precious piece of golden sunlight.” He jerked a thumb at Ed, who glared back. “That should stir them up good.”
Ed shot him an obscene gesture.
“What do you plan to do if they get violent again? We’re all unarmed now,” Onur said, his hand drifted to a pocket, as if looking for a knife.
“No, you’re unarmed. We alchemists have other weapons at our disposal,” Roy replied and Dev winced. Roy put a finger to his lips. “Enough of this talk now. You three find something else to talk about. Edward and I can join in.”
Ed listened with half an ear as the Ishbalans fell into an easy conversation about some feast day he had no clue about. He didn’t think Mustang looked all that interested either. That wasn’t important, he supposed. Man, if Winry and Al knew about how bad this plan was, they’d have a fit. He lost track of where they were meandering until he heard someone loudly telling them to stop.
“Where do you all think you’re going?” one of the soldiers asked.
Ed saw Roy’s eye cut over to Rotem and Onur who nodded. This was the crew.
“Oh, it’s you two again. You didn’t get enough last time,” the tallest and broadest of the three soldiers said, thumping Rotem on the shoulder.
“We have to shop down here,” Rotem said. “We don’t want any trouble.”
“Please, just let us pass,” Onur added and Ed could see this was only making these soldiers angrier. Well, that was what they wanted.
“You brought some buddies this time,” the youngest of them said, his eyes wide. Sun reflected off his red hair. Ed wondered if he was afraid of them or of his own partners. It was hard to tell but he was definitely scared.
“We’re not doing anything wrong,” Roy said easily, hands spread wide. “We’ve given you no cause to stop us.”
“We’ll decide that, squint. Where’s your i.d. bracelet?” The tall one reached for Roy’s arm. “Let’s see your visa.”
“I’m a citizen,” Roy said evenly but Ed could see the fury building in Roy’s remaining eye. He hadn’t really even thought much about Roy’s heritage but from the building rage, Ed thought it might be as sore a spot for Roy as being short was for him.
“Don’t talk back, squint.” The thin blond that had spoken first poked Roy then gestured to the redhead. “Sergeant Dressler, get those dogs moving off.”
The redhead looked too young and conflicted for this, Ed thought. “You heard him.”
“We have every right to be here,” Dev grumbled.
“Kid, you with them?” the tall one asked Ed. “Are they making you go with them?”
”Nobody makes me do anything,” Ed said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“We have Sergeant Dressler’s name. I’d like yours as well,” Roy said to the other two. Ed envied his ability to still be calm.
“You don’t get to demand things,” The blond shoved Roy. The Ishbalans tensed, waiting for a fight.
“Do that again, and you’ll regret it,” Roy said. “This is the Fullmetal Alchemist and I’m Flame.”
“As if state alchemists would be a kid and a squint.” The tall one brought his rifle up. “I think we’ll have to arrest you for impersonating a couple of very important people.”
Ed grimaced. He just hoped Armstrong and Hughes had their people somewhere close. Now if he could just avoid getting shot, he’d be happy.
X X X
“I can’t believe he tried to send me home like a child,” Winry grumbled as she and Al ghosted along behind the pack, barely able to keep them in sight.
Al figured his brother had just talked himself out of sex for a week. “Brother has always been overly protective.”
Winry sighed. “I know that. We’ve talked about this. It drives me crazy and Roy is just as bad. He doesn’t pull this crap as often with Riza.”
“Well, she would shoot him,” Al replied.
“I still have my wrench.” Winry’s dour expression let Al know she would still be likely to use it, too.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have followed them,” Al sighed, wondering if that would earn him a wrenching. “It could be really dangerous.”
“Al, we’re back far enough to be safe. There are people all over these streets,” Winry replied. “If something goes bad, we may have to help them.”
Al scowled. She had a good point there. Hearing loud voices, Al pulled Winry into an alley. He peered around the corner, barely able to see his brother down the block. Winry pressed against him as she tried to see as well.
“Oh, hell,” Al muttered. “They have guns drawn.”
X X X
“Dressler, what are you doing?” the blond asked. “Get your gun on them.”
“But they haven’t made any threatening moves,” the young soldier protested, his voice shaking.
“Lieutenant, you have five seconds to get that gun out of my face or you are going to regret it,” Roy said. “This kid is the Fullmetal Alchemist.” He noticed Ed shifting angrily at the appellation but amazingly he held his tongue. “And I’m General Mustang and I’m not going to tell you again.” He tried not look to the shadows and give away Investigations’ men. Roy just hoped they were actually there.
Dressler took a step away. “I believe him.”
“Dressler, you’re so useless.” The tall one growled. “You want this filth to spread all over our city?”
The redhead didn’t answer and Roy didn’t want to let him have time to. He knew the look of a terrified kid caught up in the crap of his superiors. “I’m telling you this one last time.” Roy tugged on his watch chain, popping it out of his pocket. “I’m General Mustang and you want to put those guns away and give me your names right now.”
“That looks real,” the blond said, doubt finally entering into his voice.
The tall soldier rested his cheek against the stock of his rifle. “We’ll just blame one of the red-eyes for killing him because we’re in too deep now.”
“Shit.”
Roy wasn’t sure who said that, Ed? Dev? Probably both. Ed dropped, clapping. The ground swelled up into a wall. A shot and startled cry rang out. As he heard Armstrong bellowing for them to lower their weapons, Roy shoved on his glove. It could all go to hell too fast, especially with the arrival of more soldiers, even if they were on his side. The wall was too small and the two belligerent soldiers popped around the side. “Drop the guns or I drop you,” he promised them.
They kept their weapons high and Roy snapped, controlling the fire, just enough to singe and scare them. Their shrieks were deafening, lingering longer than his flames. Armstrong and Hughes’ men hesitated in cuffing them, no less afraid of his show but they didn’t delay in confiscating the fallen weapons.
“Damn that was scary,” Rotem whispered.
“We were just protecting ourselves,” the blond screamed, his hair all but gone. “Tell them, Dressler.”
“Armstrong,” Roy waved the big man over and said softly. “Take Dressler in but go easy. I think these two bullied him into it. He’ll probably tell you everything you need to know.”
Armstrong nodded, his forelock flopping. “We heard them.” He turned to supervise his men.
“Brother, are you all right?” Al’s voice rang out.
Ed whipped around and Roy heard the fury in his tone. “Al, what are you doing here? Winry!”
Roy turned, not to see them, but to find what was causing all the ragged panting echoing in his ear. He hadn’t thought any of the Ishbalans had been shot. He saw Dev’s eyes, impossible wide, fixed on his static glove. Anything resembling color had fled the young man’s face and he trembled hard. Roy realized his foolish mistake a moment before Dev screamed incomprehensibly and his metal hand crashed into Roy’s blind side.
Chapter twenty-four
Author -
cornerofmadnessDisclaimer - not mine, all characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa et al, Square Enix and funimition.
Pairing – Roy/Riza, Ed/Win (eventually) Winry/OC, mentions of Maes/Gracia and Al/OC
Rating – will vary from chapter to chapter, mostly Pg-13 but will eventually contain well marked adult chapters.
Time Line – anime based, spoilers all the way through the anime and the movie and does have strong manga elements such as Armstrong’s older sister and the land of Xing
Summary – As Roy and Riza prepare for their wedding, while dodging assassins, Ed and Al try to find their way back home.
Author’s Note #1– This was written after much prodding by
evil_little_dog as a sequel to the source of sorrow and is now her holiday gift even if she has beta’ed part of it. So thanks to her and lyricnonsense for the beta. You do not have to read the first story to understand this. You’ll quickly pick up that Riza has retired from the military to be Roy’s wife and bodyguard. Olivia Armstrong is now president and she’s assigned Roy as the ambassador to Ishbal; oh and that Roy was severely injured in the destruction of the Gate, requiring some of Winry’s automail.Author's Note #2 - This is a longer work and like real relationships, the ones listed in the pairings, take time to mend and come together. They have to work at it. Hope you enjoy the ride.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter eight
Chapter nine
chapter ten
chapter eleven
chapter twelve
chapter thirteen
chapter fourteen
chapter fifteen
chapter sixteen
chapter seventeen
chapter eighteen
chapter nineteen
Chapter twenty
Chapter twenty-one
Chapter twenty-two
“Days of absence, sad and dreary, Clothed in sorrow's dark array, Days of absence, I am weary; She I love is far away.” – Shakespeare
Chapter Twenty-Three
The journey is my home. -Muriel Rukeyser
Roy opened his front door, padding gingerly around on his metal foot. His hangover was mild but enough to make him forget his slippers. Opening the door and seeing Aris and Hala, he laughed, waving them inside. “You did come back.” He waved them in. “Dev is still dead to the world. Winry and Riza are making breakfast. Would you like some?”
“Thank you, no. We ate,” Hala said, something akin to shameful joy gleaming in her red eyes.
“Well, we have tea and coffee, too. Come on back to the kitchen.” Roy led the way.
“I’m surprised to see you awake and so functional.” Hala’s appraising gaze swept over Roy.
“He’s a little more…practiced than your son,” Aris said and Roy snorted. “I suppose the leftover concussions aren’t slowing him down either.”
“I do have a headache but I’ll survive. I took one of my hangover cures.” Roy gestured for them to precede him.
Winry and Riza looked up as they walked into the kitchen. A pile of scrambled eggs and bacon sat in the middle of the table. Hughes was slumped over his coffee and Ed was busy glaring so hotly at Roy, the alchemist was amazed there weren’t scorch marks on the table.
“Hello,” Riza said. “Can we get you anything?”
“The coffee sounded good,” Aris said, pulling a chair out for Hala.
“Tea is fine.”
“Ed’s not talking to me,” Roy said, sitting down to some eggs and bacon on his temporarily abandoned plate. “If I didn’t fear for Al’s health, I’d take him out every night to get a morning so peaceful.”
“Roy, don’t make me kill you,” Winry said, thumping him on the shoulder with her spoon and he winced.
“He might have a point,” Hughes snorted and Ed turned the glare on him.
“I suppose it’s even more peaceful because my son is still unconscious.” Hala sighed. “You bring out the very worst in him.”
“Roy’s good at that.” Riza looked up from her coffee with a faint smile. “For some reason, he brings out the worst in this generation’s young men.”
“Not so good with his own generation, either,” Winry said, gesturing at Hughes, who groaned in response.
“I had a great time.” Hughes pried one eye open to look at Winry. “Just great.”
“You probably didn’t throw up as much as Al did, either.” Winry arched her eyebrows at Hughes.
“I’m holding you accountable for that, too.” Ed pointed at Hughes.
“Hey, we did not pour alcohol into anyone with a funnel,” Roy protested, taking a bite.
“We considered it. Well, actually, Dev considered it but we talked him out of it.” Hughes peered owlishly through his glasses. “I guess Ishbalans know how to shotgun beer. Al even helped with that one. Talking him out of it, I mean.”
“That reminds me. I have to tell you about the time I built a bong out of a pumpkin!” Roy stabbed some eggs, a funny little grin on his face
Hala cocked her head, studying Roy in horror. “How are you even still alive?”
“God doesn’t want him,” Aris said wryly.
Roy flipped him an obscene gesture, snickering. “Hey Hughes, did you finish the roll at the bar?”
Hughes brightened. “Oh yeah, thanks. Riza, where can I take a roll of film to be developed?”
“Don’t blame me. I didn’t give him a camera.” Ed leaned his chin in his hand, seeing Riza’s ‘help me’ expression. “But I can’t wait to see these pictures.” His wolfish smile glittered.
“I didn’t catch your brother doing anything inappropriate.” Hughes sniffed then winced, putting his fingers to his temples.
“Did you forget the barflies?” Roy’s smirk flashed then faded as he downed some coffee.
“Oh, yeah.”
“You let some skanky woman hit on Al?” Ed roared and Hughes clamped a hand over his ears.
“No, we shooed them off.” Roy turned, hearing a moan in the other room. “I think you woke the dead, Edward.”
“We’d better check on them,” Winry said, getting up.
Roy got up, beckoning gleefully. “This will be like theatre.”
“You’re so twisted.” Hughes laughed, following Winry and the other ladies into the living room. Ed, Aris and Roy followed him.
Dev sat up on the rug, coughing. “My lungs are burning. My head hurts .”
“That’s because you have a massive rug burn on it,” Roy told him smugly.
“Do not.” He put a hand to his forehead then jerked it away. “What did you do to me, you stupid fu…uh, Mom? Why are you here?”
“Mom? I’m not your mother. You said so last night,” Hala replied pleasantly.
“You were here?” Dev whimpered.
“And I didn’t do anything to you.” Roy rolled his eyes.
“Like you’d remember,” Ed grumbled.
“I know where I’d be checking if I had a face full of rug burn,” Hughes added, ignoring Roy and Dev’s glares.
“Shut the hell…” Dev turned green and he lurched to his feet, darting toward the bathroom.
“Don’t you step on my brother in there!” Ed shouted after him loud enough to make Hughes wince. He turned a wicked grin on Roy “You’re right, this is like theatre.”
“It won’t be if you have to clean that bathroom,” Winry reminded him.
“They puke on it, they clean it. I’ve already cleaned up after Al once.” Ed shuddered.
“Technically, I did,” Winry shot back and he shrugged.
“Hughes, give me that roll of film,” Riza held out her hand. “I’m going to town with the ladies to go wedding shopping again . I’ll have Fuery develop it. He’ll be thrilled to do it as quickly as possible.”
“Let me go get it.” Hughes headed back for the downstairs guest room.
“So, this Hughes is a shutterbug, too?” Winry asked quietly.
“Oh, yes,” Roy replied. “Uncanny.” He turned to Hala. “Going to make sure your son doesn’t drown in the toilet?”
“If he drowns, he drowns.” She shrugged. “He’s a big boy now.”
“She’s just here to watch him suffer,” Aris offered. His expression said that was his plan as well.
“It’s every mother’s right to give her son that ‘idiot’ look,” Winry said. “Or in my case, Granny’s right.”
“I wasn’t the only one to get that look.” Ed narrowed his eyes at Winry. “I remember you getting that look, too.”
“Did anyone mention your name?” Winry asked sweetly.
“He recognized the description.” Riza laughed.
“In all honesty, I’m glad Dev is out doing things like this.” Hala glanced at Roy. “Whether or not I like that it’s your influence he’s under, I can’t deny it’s been good for my son. Going out to bars and having fun is a normal thing for a young man to do and he’s never done it before. I’m not sure he’s ever been hung-over before, though you’re probably in a better position to say.” She sighed. “Just don’t tell Dev I approve. It’ll ruin the ‘mom thing’.”
“Couldn’t have that. Takes away all the fun of him twisting in the wind,” Roy said as Hughes came back.
“Here, develop away but keep it secret until you do. Who knows what an alchemist might do to it,” Hughes cautioned, dropping the roll of film into Riza’s hand.
“Oh, I can imagine,” she replied, tucking it into her pocket as Dev came back out of the bathroom, Al trailing behind him.
“Why was I on the floor?” Al muttered, stumbling along, eyes barely open.
“Don’t you remember last night?” Ed drummed his hands on the marble mantle piece making just about everyone wince, even those not at the bar all night.
“Bits of it.” Al’s nose wrinkled. “I feel horrible. Roy, did I get sick on your hedges? The little ones out front? I remember getting sick…and them talking to me.”
“YOU PUKED ON ME!” Ed bellowed, making even the non-hung over people shield their ears.
“Ishbala! How can something so little be so loud?” Dev groaned, his face going greyer as if he might vomit again.
“I’m not little.” Ed went to stab a finger into Dev’s chest then thought better of it. “I’m just not freakishly tall.”
“I puked on you?” Al asked puzzled.
“Twice,” Winry replied. “I had to hose you both off. It was the highlight of my evening.”
“Sorry,” Al muttered, rubbing his neck. “Can I go sleep in a real bed now?”
“No, you two need to get breakfast and then we’re heading to the Ishbalan center to do some work,” Roy replied.
“I don’t actually work for you, you know,” Al said, shooting him an unhappy look.
“You’re making me work? I’m about to die,” Dev moaned.
His mother patted his back, trying hard not to smile. “Get to work, slacker.”
He pouted at her. “Thanks, Mom.”
“And Alphonse, you and Edward are still on Roy duty for the rest of the week as punishment for sneaking into my bathroom, remember?” Riza smiled. “Whatever he wants, he gets.”
“He already drank me to death, doesn’t that count?” Al whimpered.
“I what?” Roy’s eye slotted. “Again, I didn’t hold anyone down and use a funnel. You two are just lucky Hughes and I switched you to water well before we left the bar.”
“We have a big breakfast cooked for you two,” Winry said sweetly. “Nice scrambled eggs. Come and get it.”
Dev and Al exchanged looks then nearly knocked each other down getting back to the bathroom with Winry laughing at them.
X X X
“I get why we’re here. It’s punishment,” Ed muttered, glancing up from his book as he sat reading in Aris’ office. “But why did you come, Winry?”
“Riza got called away to work so no shopping. Li-Ying and Miao-Yin went to go get groceries and frankly, I feared knowing what they might be buying.” Winry shrugged, not actually looking up from her Mechanic’s Monthly magazine. “I might as well come watch the living dead at work.”
“You can be so mean,” Al grumbled, stretched out on the rug since Dev had flung himself on the couch, refusing to be budged.
“You’re just realizing that?” Ed braced for the punch he knew was coming.
“I’m nice ,” Winry protested, disappointing him by not punching him.
“Aren’t you supposed to be working, Dev?” Aris asked cheerily.
“I am, working in my head.” His metal hand flailed around the general area of his head.
“Actually, you need to get up and go see if that friend of yours is here yet,” Roy said. “I want to talk to him about the soldiers harassing him.”
Dev moaned. “Then Al will steal my couch.”
“Move before we alchemize you to it,” Roy replied. Grumbling, Dev got up and left the room. Al slithered onto the couch. Roy turned to Aris. “So, how much you want to bet he comes back with at least three people?”
“No bet because Rotem, Vashti and Dev are pretty much attached at the hip or were until he started dating someone without red eyes.” The priest glanced at Winry. “No offense.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not a secret how they felt about me,” Winry said, her hurt still evident in her tone.
“It’s really unfair,” Al mumbled into the couch pillows.
“Lots of things in our world are,” Aris agreed as Dev returned with Vashti, Anah and Rotem, the young man sporting a black eye. Another young man the Amestrians hadn’t met before was with them. Al sat up, looking grim at the sight of the battered young men. Aris and Roy looked equally as unhappy.
“This is Onur.” Dev swept his hand to the youth who had a strawberry on his cheek. “He was with Rotem.”
Aris stood up. “Tell us about what happened.”
Onur glanced at Rotem, who shrugged and started the story. “We were downtown, I was getting groceries for Mom and these three soldiers started hassling us. I swear we didn’t say anything to them.”
“We didn’t. There was just the two of us and they had guns. That would have been criminally stupid,” Onur added.
“What did they say?” Roy folded his hands together, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“The usual crap, a host of red-eye slurs, telling us to go home and get out of their city.” Rotem fingered the dark bruise under his eye. “Then one of them hit me.”
“Did you provoke them?” Aris asked.
Rotem and Onur exchanged glances then turned to Dev who shook his head.
“I don’t care if you said stuff back,” Roy said. “They have no business starting up with you in the first place and definitely no call to be hitting anyone unless you got physical with them.”
“We didn’t,” Rotem replied quickly. “I guess I did tell them to leave us alone, probably not as nicely as I could have.”
“Rotem,” Onur hissed. “Don’t give him reasons to side with them.”
“He won’t,” Dev promised, putting a hand on Onur’s arm to settle him. “Mustang will deal with this.”
“I actually believe that, I guess.” Rotem shrugged.
“Rotem?” Vashti sent him a querulous look.
“I do,” Rotem replied. “But I didn’t say anything that deserved a gun butt to the face.”
“I tried to grab him up and get out of there but that’s when they hit me,” Onur said, lifting his shirt to reveal bruised ribs. “We even lost all the groceries.” Fury danced in his eyes at the loss of their food.
Leaning forward intently, Ed asked, “Have you seen these guys before?”
“Yeah, they’re stationed there all the time and they always hassle us,” Rotem said.
“Let me make a few calls and you’re going to take me down there,” Roy said, reaching for the phone.
“You’re not in uniform. Will they listen to you?” Onur asked, his expression dubious.
“He doesn’t want to be in uniform,” Dev said, nodding in agreement to what he assumed Roy’s plan was. “I’ve seen people say derogatory things to him when he’s out of uniform, like calling him a squint. You want them to think all of us are up to something with you.” He addressed that to Roy.
Mustang nodded, cupping a hand over the receiver. “And Fullmetal, I doubt they’re going to recognize him. Let them think it’s a big conspiracy. Ladies, I’m going to ask you to sit this out.”
“We can help,” Anah protested.
“I’m sure but too large a group and I can’t protect you all. I know, you can protect yourself, but I have all the civilians to think about, too. Alex Louis,” Roy said into the phone. “I have an investigation for you.”
After a brief conversation, Mustang hung up. “In a half hour, Strongarm will have a few of his men in place. Hughes, he’ll want you to join him at the fountain in the center of town, in half that time. He’ll probably use you to get closer to the action, if there is any. Alex Louis isn’t really made for undercover.”
Hughes snorted. “You don’t say.”
“Edward, you will join me, Rotem, Onur and Dev.” Roy squinted at Dev, glad he had worn his glass eye today. He had suspected he might want both eyes seen. They might have associated the distinctive patch with the Flame Alchemist. “Or are you too hung over?”
“I can do this,” Dev grumbled. “I want to.”
“I figured.” Roy got to his feet, giving Dev a pat on the shoulder as he walked by.
“I can help,” Al offered, brushing his hair back away from bloodshot eyes.
“No way,” Ed snapped. “You take Winry home. This is no place for civilians.”
“As if you’re really a soldier,” Al’s eyes slotted. “Or any of them.” He nodded to the Ishbalan youths.
“And I don’t have to be escorted home, Edward.” Winry glowered at him.
“And you can’t come with us,” Ed insisted.
“He’s right, Alphonse. I can’t sanction risking you. Technically, Aris would be risking these young men,” Roy said.
“They need to do this. We want to find some sort of lasting peace but with people like that, it won’t happen,” Aris said, thumping his hand down on the table.
“It can be dangerous,” Roy said. “I know I don’t have to tell you that. Investigations will be there and they will be armed. I need only one thing from you four, your words that you will let me handle this. I can protect you but only if you do what I say and I know that’s asking a lot since half of you don’t like me and the other half love doing exactly the opposite of what I say.”
“I’ll listen,” Ed said reluctantly, “But don’t forget what I can do.”
“I don’t forget things like that,” Roy assured him. “I’ll be counting on your abilities, Edward. Dev, as for you and your friends, if you have any weapons, now would be the time to go stash them someplace here. We do not want to add any fuel to the fire. If you’re unarmed, they’ll have no reason to pull their weapons.”
“You know we’re not allowed to carry weapons,” Dev said.
Roy offered up a flat smile. “Yes, so now would be the time to make sure you’re actually not.”
Dev snorted, waving his two companions to follow him. The ladies went with them, looking unhappy about staying behind. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“I’d better get going,” Hughes said. “Are you going to get a message to Riza?”
“If I can. If I get shot again, I better hope for death,” Roy said, with barely a hint of rumor. “Riza will kill me otherwise.”
“I hate this plan,” Winry said. “I’m tired of people I care about getting hurt.”
Ed smirked. “It won’t be us getting hurt.”
Winry didn’t look convinced but Ed ignored that. He had to.
XXX
“Okay with that hat on you look like you should be working in a laundry,” Ed said as they walked down the street.
Roy eyed him sourly, fingering the silk cap he wore. “Why do you think I never wear this stuff?”
“At least you fit in with us foreigners,” Dev said wryly. “I still feel like death.”
Roy tugged on the cap again. “I’d have let you stay at home if I could but it was better this way. All blood shot and baggy eyed, you really look disreputable.”
“Bite me.”
“You do.” Rotem chuckled.
Ed laughed a little, too, but sobered up quickly enough when he wondered if he was still good in a fight. It had been a few years since he’d last been in one. That was all he needed, to get himself killed now. At least he wouldn’t die a virgin but he wanted to live long enough to get good at sex. Not to mention Winry might do rude things to his corpse if he managed to die on her now.
“And your soldiers, they’ll be hiding there, right?” Onur asked, his shifting eyes showing his nervousness.
Roy nodded. “I made sure of it.”
“This had better not be the first time they actually ignore us,” Rotem fretted. “I guess we would look pretty scary to someone who doesn’t like outsiders. A bunch of desert dogs, a slant and a rather disreputable-looking kid.”
“I’m the same age as you ,” Ed grumbled. “Give or take a year.”
“Really?” Rotem’s eyes widened.
“And I’m as tall as the bastard,” Ed huffed, looking pleased at that.
“Not quite,” Roy replied.
“And Mustang looks like he’s a teenager half the time, too,” Dev replied. “Okay, so what are we doing? Just wandering around until we get hassled?”
“That’s the plan and when it happens let me deal with it,” Roy reminded.
“Great plan. Stumble around like idiots,” Ed snorted.
“We seem to be well qualified,” Dev replied. “They’re going to think we’re corrupting this little precious piece of golden sunlight.” He jerked a thumb at Ed, who glared back. “That should stir them up good.”
Ed shot him an obscene gesture.
“What do you plan to do if they get violent again? We’re all unarmed now,” Onur said, his hand drifted to a pocket, as if looking for a knife.
“No, you’re unarmed. We alchemists have other weapons at our disposal,” Roy replied and Dev winced. Roy put a finger to his lips. “Enough of this talk now. You three find something else to talk about. Edward and I can join in.”
Ed listened with half an ear as the Ishbalans fell into an easy conversation about some feast day he had no clue about. He didn’t think Mustang looked all that interested either. That wasn’t important, he supposed. Man, if Winry and Al knew about how bad this plan was, they’d have a fit. He lost track of where they were meandering until he heard someone loudly telling them to stop.
“Where do you all think you’re going?” one of the soldiers asked.
Ed saw Roy’s eye cut over to Rotem and Onur who nodded. This was the crew.
“Oh, it’s you two again. You didn’t get enough last time,” the tallest and broadest of the three soldiers said, thumping Rotem on the shoulder.
“We have to shop down here,” Rotem said. “We don’t want any trouble.”
“Please, just let us pass,” Onur added and Ed could see this was only making these soldiers angrier. Well, that was what they wanted.
“You brought some buddies this time,” the youngest of them said, his eyes wide. Sun reflected off his red hair. Ed wondered if he was afraid of them or of his own partners. It was hard to tell but he was definitely scared.
“We’re not doing anything wrong,” Roy said easily, hands spread wide. “We’ve given you no cause to stop us.”
“We’ll decide that, squint. Where’s your i.d. bracelet?” The tall one reached for Roy’s arm. “Let’s see your visa.”
“I’m a citizen,” Roy said evenly but Ed could see the fury building in Roy’s remaining eye. He hadn’t really even thought much about Roy’s heritage but from the building rage, Ed thought it might be as sore a spot for Roy as being short was for him.
“Don’t talk back, squint.” The thin blond that had spoken first poked Roy then gestured to the redhead. “Sergeant Dressler, get those dogs moving off.”
The redhead looked too young and conflicted for this, Ed thought. “You heard him.”
“We have every right to be here,” Dev grumbled.
“Kid, you with them?” the tall one asked Ed. “Are they making you go with them?”
”Nobody makes me do anything,” Ed said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“We have Sergeant Dressler’s name. I’d like yours as well,” Roy said to the other two. Ed envied his ability to still be calm.
“You don’t get to demand things,” The blond shoved Roy. The Ishbalans tensed, waiting for a fight.
“Do that again, and you’ll regret it,” Roy said. “This is the Fullmetal Alchemist and I’m Flame.”
“As if state alchemists would be a kid and a squint.” The tall one brought his rifle up. “I think we’ll have to arrest you for impersonating a couple of very important people.”
Ed grimaced. He just hoped Armstrong and Hughes had their people somewhere close. Now if he could just avoid getting shot, he’d be happy.
X X X
“I can’t believe he tried to send me home like a child,” Winry grumbled as she and Al ghosted along behind the pack, barely able to keep them in sight.
Al figured his brother had just talked himself out of sex for a week. “Brother has always been overly protective.”
Winry sighed. “I know that. We’ve talked about this. It drives me crazy and Roy is just as bad. He doesn’t pull this crap as often with Riza.”
“Well, she would shoot him,” Al replied.
“I still have my wrench.” Winry’s dour expression let Al know she would still be likely to use it, too.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have followed them,” Al sighed, wondering if that would earn him a wrenching. “It could be really dangerous.”
“Al, we’re back far enough to be safe. There are people all over these streets,” Winry replied. “If something goes bad, we may have to help them.”
Al scowled. She had a good point there. Hearing loud voices, Al pulled Winry into an alley. He peered around the corner, barely able to see his brother down the block. Winry pressed against him as she tried to see as well.
“Oh, hell,” Al muttered. “They have guns drawn.”
X X X
“Dressler, what are you doing?” the blond asked. “Get your gun on them.”
“But they haven’t made any threatening moves,” the young soldier protested, his voice shaking.
“Lieutenant, you have five seconds to get that gun out of my face or you are going to regret it,” Roy said. “This kid is the Fullmetal Alchemist.” He noticed Ed shifting angrily at the appellation but amazingly he held his tongue. “And I’m General Mustang and I’m not going to tell you again.” He tried not look to the shadows and give away Investigations’ men. Roy just hoped they were actually there.
Dressler took a step away. “I believe him.”
“Dressler, you’re so useless.” The tall one growled. “You want this filth to spread all over our city?”
The redhead didn’t answer and Roy didn’t want to let him have time to. He knew the look of a terrified kid caught up in the crap of his superiors. “I’m telling you this one last time.” Roy tugged on his watch chain, popping it out of his pocket. “I’m General Mustang and you want to put those guns away and give me your names right now.”
“That looks real,” the blond said, doubt finally entering into his voice.
The tall soldier rested his cheek against the stock of his rifle. “We’ll just blame one of the red-eyes for killing him because we’re in too deep now.”
“Shit.”
Roy wasn’t sure who said that, Ed? Dev? Probably both. Ed dropped, clapping. The ground swelled up into a wall. A shot and startled cry rang out. As he heard Armstrong bellowing for them to lower their weapons, Roy shoved on his glove. It could all go to hell too fast, especially with the arrival of more soldiers, even if they were on his side. The wall was too small and the two belligerent soldiers popped around the side. “Drop the guns or I drop you,” he promised them.
They kept their weapons high and Roy snapped, controlling the fire, just enough to singe and scare them. Their shrieks were deafening, lingering longer than his flames. Armstrong and Hughes’ men hesitated in cuffing them, no less afraid of his show but they didn’t delay in confiscating the fallen weapons.
“Damn that was scary,” Rotem whispered.
“We were just protecting ourselves,” the blond screamed, his hair all but gone. “Tell them, Dressler.”
“Armstrong,” Roy waved the big man over and said softly. “Take Dressler in but go easy. I think these two bullied him into it. He’ll probably tell you everything you need to know.”
Armstrong nodded, his forelock flopping. “We heard them.” He turned to supervise his men.
“Brother, are you all right?” Al’s voice rang out.
Ed whipped around and Roy heard the fury in his tone. “Al, what are you doing here? Winry!”
Roy turned, not to see them, but to find what was causing all the ragged panting echoing in his ear. He hadn’t thought any of the Ishbalans had been shot. He saw Dev’s eyes, impossible wide, fixed on his static glove. Anything resembling color had fled the young man’s face and he trembled hard. Roy realized his foolish mistake a moment before Dev screamed incomprehensibly and his metal hand crashed into Roy’s blind side.
Chapter twenty-four
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