FIC: Eclipsed By The Sun 6/10 - Another Road Traveled: Promise Filled Sky - R
Eclipsed by the Sun 6/10
Summary: After facing Lust under the Third Laboratory, Roy and Ed have teamed up to learn more about the homunculi while waiting for the other shoe to drop. In the process they find themselves learning more about each other and seeing past differences that have divided them for years. Will these welcome distractions tear them apart or bring new and unexpected possibilities for them both?
AUTHOR: catw00man and zippitgood
RATING: R
UNIVERSE: Another Road Traveled
SERIES: Promise Filled Sky
CHARACTERS: Roy Mustang/Edward Elric, Heymans Breda, Jean Havoc, Alphonse Elric, Ling Yao, Lan Fan, Winry Rockbell, Riza Hawkeye, Kain Fuery, Vato Falman, Gracia Hughes
CHALLENGE: Written for the 2012 round of big_bigbang
COMPLETED: Dec 11, 2012
WORD COUNT: 6,661 (Chapter), 76,515 (Overall)
DISCLAIMER: The characters portrayed within are not ours. This is merely a loving response to the original work.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is part of a larger Universe called Another Road Traveled. Promise Filled Sky falls within this universe and chronicles the beginning of the saga. This story immediately follows A New Dawn. Other stories within this universe may be found HERE.
ARTIST: The beautiful art for this story was provided by the very talented aquerna as part of the 2012 big_bigbang challenge.
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AO3 |
This time he didn’t go after Ed.
How could he? Not after what he let happen, though he’s still not completely clear what exactly happened. All he intended to do was try and ease Ed’s hangover and the next thing he knew Ed’s warm lips were pressed against his own. His only saving grace was that Ed pulled away before Roy did anything more inappropriate. Unfortunately the damage was already done. Ed didn’t even bother to take his shoes….
“Sir?”
Roy physically jumps at the sound of Hawkeye’s voice and in the next instant he’s trying to compose himself behind his desk as if nothing were awry. If she only knew…. No, if she knew she’d probably take him out behind the main part of Central Command, shoot him in an inappropriate location, and dump his worthless corpse in the adjacent moat. This is definitely not something he needs to share, accident or not. He makes sure to school his features then looks up at his subordinate standing at his side. “Yes, Lieutenant? Did you need something?”
She gives him a knowing look that makes his insides twist into knots then leans closer with her hands clasped behind her back. “I can’t help but notice you’ve been rather distracted today, Colonel.”
Roy’s mouth goes dry and he gives an acknowledging nod as he looks straight ahead instead of into her all too observant eyes. “Is that so?” He’s been using his public desk lately instead of his private office to give the appearance all is normal and right now he focuses on watching Falman meticulously straighten his desk before returning to his typing. If there’s anyone who’s more of a neat freak than him it’s Falman. Apparently he’s still catching up on reports from his extended “sick leave.” Roy clears his throat slightly and adds, “I wasn’t aware I was giving that impression.”
“Yes, sir, you were.” Roy nods again and listens to the unmistakable clack-clack of Falman’s typewriter which is much more pleasing to the ear than this conversation. “But it’s completely understandable.”
He blinks and attempts to keep a straight face. She can’t possibly think that. He’s much too old to even be considering-
“I think you should go see him. I’m certain he would like that.”
“You what?” Roy whips his head around to find a soft and sympathetic look on Hawkeye’s face. How? How can she look at him that way after what he’s done? Sure it was all a mistake and he was using a science he only partially understands, but it’s still no excuse. He sees puzzlement creep into her expression and it finally occurs to him she may be talking about something else altogether. “I mean…who?”
“Havoc.” She frowns and inches a little closer as she lowers her voice to an urgent whisper. “Colonel? Are you alright?” She unclasps her hands and tilts her head with concern. “Maybe you should have stayed in the hospital a little lon-”
“Colonel Mustang!” Roy looks back over the front of his desk and breathes a sigh of relief at the welcome distraction of Kain hurrying back into the office. He rushes up to the desk and after a direct look from Roy reaches up to adjust his glasses with his left hand, the opposite one he’d normally use. It’s his silent cue indicating he is who he appears to be. They’re all using these signals now after learning about Envy’s apparent shape shifting ways.
“Yes, Sergeant? Is something wrong?” Roy can tell by his flushed cheeks that whatever the news is it’s important. Did Ed go out and do something completely irrational? The broad grin breaking out across Kain’s face suggests otherwise. Whatever it is he seems to think it’s good.
“No, no, sir, nothing’s wrong.” He pauses to catch his breath then beams at Roy again. “It’s Havoc. Breda says he’s awake!”
In the space of an instant the entire office goes silent with the exception of a single extra keystroke from Falman’s typewriter. It’s as if they’re all frozen in time on the off chance Kain may say something to take the news back. But he doesn’t and that changes everything. In the next moment, everyone’s talking at once and he doesn’t bother to stop them. This is the news they’ve been waiting on for far too long.
Wasn’t it only a week ago the doctors were telling him Havoc shouldn’t wake up at all? He looked into things himself and there was a high probability that the hypovolemic shock could’ve cut off oxygen to his brain and caused damaged. There’s still a chance things might not be right, but that’s a worry for another time. For now all that matters is he’s out of the coma. Havoc’s awake and that’s the first step in the right direction.
Roy put his hands on his desk then pushes out of his chair. Hawkeye shoots him a look but he ignores it as he walks over to the corner to get his black coat from the coatrack. He folds it over his arm and isn’t surprised at the questioning and concerned look he faces when he turns around.
“Sir?”
“You were right, Lieutenant. It has been a long day.” He walks over to his desk to retrieve a few papers containing notes he wants to cross reference at home then drapes his coat over his shoulders. It should still be too hot outside to slip it on, but wearing it this way makes a certain imposing impression and should hide any hints of his remaining injuries. “I believe I’m going to take your advice and pay a visit to our second lieutenant.”
“I-yes, sir. That’s a good idea but-”
He can tell Hawkeye would like to interrogate him further about their earlier conversation but thankfully the others in the office aren’t going to give her a chance.
“Colonel, would you please tell him we’re all thinking about him? I’ve nearly caught up on all of mine and his reports.”
“Yes, sir, could you let him know I’ll come by to see him later tonight? I’m almost finished with the communication logs and I’ll be right over.”
Roy smiles at the exuberance coming from everyone and the way the ever present pall over the office is instantly lifted. He knows how they feel. Yesterday he even caught himself missing the pungent odor of Havoc’s usual afternoon cigarettes which is something he never expected. He nods to each of them in turn then pauses by Hawkeye on his way out the door. “Thank you for your concern, Lieutenant. I’ll be sure to get plenty of rest after my visit.”
She nods, as he expected she would, but she knows him much too well to be completely fooled by his act. Hopefully his allusion to his health will be enough to satisfy her from looking into things more. The pleasant distraction of Havoc’s recovery should also keep her distracted, at least he hopes that’s the case. All he needs now is to have to answer questions as to why Ed practically ran screaming from his house.
Roy forces a smile to his lips as he strolls past his subordinates’ desks and out of the office. As long as he keeps up appearances he should be fine…unless Ed decides to expose him. As it is, he’s been expecting a menacing visit from a certain seven foot tall suit of armor all day. But when lunch passed without Alphonse’s appearance he began to hope that maybe Ed kept things to himself for once, though he’s not holding his breath on that one. Chances are his younger brother is just waiting for a better opportunity to confront him…alone.
He sighs at the disturbing possibilities that swirl through his mind at the thought and makes his way through the halls of the building quickly. He’ll need to track Ed down at some point, but he still doesn’t feel right chasing after him. He just hopes he hasn’t driven him to drink again because who will be there to carry him back home if he has? Roy shakes his head and takes the stairs over the elevator to avoid any chance of conversation. He’s in no mood for small talk.
He makes it half a flight down when a young secretary with her arms full of reports runs head long into him on the second floor landing. Roy manages to keep his footing but the petite redhead ends up falling onto her backside and all the papers she was carrying end up floating down around her like oversized snowflakes. A look of horror spreads across her face and Roy isn’t sure if it’s from the undignified position she landed in, the fact that he’s the one she ran into, or that the documents she was carrying are scattered all over the floor. Considering the first thing she does is try to pull down her skirt and fix her hair he’s suspects it might be a mixture of the first two.
He takes a closer look as she brushes her hair out of her eyes and he’s certain he recognizes her from the Lieutenant General’s office on the top floor. Considering he heads this entire installation, chances are there could be valuable information in these documents. If he’s careful, maybe he can catch a glimpse of something useful. Roy kneels down to help the young woman gather up the paper and “accidentally” scatters a large pile of them further across the floor. The woman makes a sound of distress and he quickly works to distract her.
“I’m so sorry, Miss…Evelyn, isn’t it?” Her blue eyes widen and he’s certain he got her name right. He does his best to remember every name he can for this very reason, people tend to trust you more when you do. He shoots her his best winning smile as he gathers up the least mundane looking report and as expected her cheeks blush red from the attention. “You’re working on the top floor with General Armato, aren’t you?”
Evelyn flushes again and nearly drops the papers she’s already gathered up. “Yes, yes I am. I’m-I’m so sorry, sir, Colonel, I mean, Mustang. Colonel Mustang. I wasn’t watching-”
Her words cut off with a gasp when he reaches out and touches her forearm. He gives her a warm, reassuring smile which causes her eyes to initially widen even more. “It’s quite alright. I was in a hurry myself. Please, let me help you with these.” He looks her over briefly, enough to show interest without seeming inappropriate, and she returns his smile shyly.
“Thank you. Thank you, sir. You’re much too kind.” She dips her head forward slightly, her attention entirely on him now and he takes advantage of it as he gathers and sifts through the documents. He doesn’t have time to read much but he can see much of the paperwork is day to day bureaucratic nonsense. He gathers these pages quickly then shoves them into her hands when she leans for another folder. The unruly pile distracts her enough for him to snatch up the only thing that doesn’t look routine.
Roy only has a moment to glance at the report but it’s more than enough. Years of pushing papers has taught him how to glean the important bits from meaningless babble. He shuffles the pages so he can see the meat of the report and the words “local compendium” catch his eye. They’re underlined twice with thick strokes and are followed by a list of names he barely gets a peek at. Unfortunately Evelyn has gathered up all the rest of the documents and is reaching for the ones in Roy’s hands.
He needs a better look but he can’t be too obvious. Chances are the young woman will mention his name later and he doesn’t need her remembering he was lingering over this report. He smiles at her again as he moves to stand and reaches out with the report. He clumsily drops it to the floor again with a skilled flip of the wrist and gives her a sly smile.
“My apologies, Miss Evelyn. Women with beautiful eyes tend to make me a little out of sorts.” She gasps softly and nearly drops the rest of her papers again. Roy winks at her in an effort to further unnerve her and reaches down for the folder that’s spilled its contents again. “Here, let me get that for you.”
Roy leans down to collect the report and quickly scans the list of names. He recognizes one as a shop he’s familiar with and quickly memorizes as many of the others as he can. He manages to get about half of them stored away in his memory as he continues to play the game he’s imminently familiar with. “Here you are. Once again I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience. I hope I haven’t made you late.”
Roy slides the folder into the midst of the pile in her hands. With any luck she won’t remember which one was the last to drop. She readjusts the slippery pile of folders in her arms again then reaches up to adjust her dark rimmed glasses. “Thank-thank you, sir. These-these things happen.”
“That they do,” he murmurs in a smooth tone. The adoring look she’s giving him leaves no doubt she’ll be relaying this exchange. He only hopes her story will focus on the “smokiness” of his eyes instead of the actual course of events. His mind’s already spinning from the tiny bit of information he’s certain he wasn’t meant to see. It’s not much, but it could indicate Ed’s current course of research is on the right track. He’ll just need to follow up on that list of shops to be sure.
“Please, have a wonderful day,” he tells her with a smile as he reaches down for the coat that’s fallen off his shoulders. He replaces it with a flourish that has her eyes locked on him and he gives her a knowing nod as he moves to the side and out of her way.
“Oh I will! I will, sir. Thank you!” She clutches the folders to her chest as if they were a priceless gift then quickly hurries past him. He waits until she’s heading up the stairs again before turning to continue down, but he doesn’t miss the quick glances she shoots back his way. She’s definitely interested in his attention. He’ll need to keep that in mind. Perhaps he can have another run in with Miss Evelyn in the future.
Roy quickly makes his way down the remaining two flights of stairs then he’s out the door and into the warm, bright day. He takes the front door, instead of the back, because he won’t be taking his car to the hospital. It’s within easy walking distance through the South Central Park and it’s much easier to walk than to find a parking spot. He heads down the marble stairs and into the welcome green of the park, a rarity in this part of Central. He may not be stationed in the main part of Command yet, but the South Gate Command Center is really the next best thing. Hughes would’ve been thrilled with his reassignment. It’s the closest exterior command center to the Investigations Building and Roy knows that would’ve been the perfect excuse for Hughes to pester him every chance he had.
His features harden as he glances toward the building Hughes worked in for years and he barely keeps his teeth from grinding together. He doesn’t like to show outward weakness regardless of the turmoil inside. His steps falter and before he knows it he’s standing before the imposing building with tall marble columns. How many times would they have met out here, taking advantage of the simple convenience? He never would’ve been able to get Hughes out of his hair and his chest aches at the missed opportunities. Hughes would’ve driven him crazy, but right now he’d give about anything to have a picture of his cherub cheeked “little angel” shoved in his face right now. Roy shakes his head once then tucks his hands into his pockets as he turns and continues along the cobbled path.
He never admitted it to Hughes, but some part of him was looking forward to the special insanity that being in the same town with him would bring. He has no doubt Hughes knew anyway. He always
was better at reading him than anyone else nowadays. Roy was even looking forward to chance to spend some time with his family, though that’s never been something he’s done much of. But after spending so much time in the drab backwaters of Eastern Command he wanted to see that normalcy, preferably in a green and thriving place like this. He wanted a glimpse of the people he was fighting for and Maes’ family was always a shining example of that.
But not anymore.
The heat of the day suddenly bears down on him and he pulls his coat from his shoulders and folds it over his right arm. Actually, it’s not that hot, but he pretends all the same to distract himself from thoughts he doesn’t have time to face. Instead he focuses on the lushness of the trees and the rich green grass that’s always impeccably manicured all the way up to the path. He missed things like this in Eastern Command which was so much more barren than the areas surrounding it, almost as if the city itself sucked up all the life and fed it to the machine of the Amestrian Military. He’s glad to see in Central, at least, there’s still a little life to be seen.
Roy comes to a fork in the path and with no hesitation he chooses the one to the right which takes him toward the pond and underneath a dense canopy of trees. It’s the long way to the hospital, but he prefers the more scenic route. As he emerges from the shadows of the trees, he hears a slew of animal calls and glances toward the small lake. There’s a clearing surrounding it and some children are taking advantage of the lack of trees to fly kites. He watches one swoop through the air but then stops short when a bright red ball bounces into his path.
He stops the ball with his foot then looks around for the source of the rolling object. He spots a little girl with curly brown locks looking at him with wide green eyes a few feet away. She can’t be more than three or four and he squats down to pick up the ball. He stays on her level as he holds it out with a smile that’s more genuine than any most people see. He doesn’t have much experience with children, but Elysia never liked it when he gave her a look that was less than genuine. Maybe children really are more perceptive than adults.
The little girl doesn’t move and neither does he. He has a feeling he’d probably scare her away if he did. She bites her lip when he slowly shakes the ball then suddenly runs toward him and snatches it from his hand. She pauses only long enough to give him a huge smile then toddles off toward a young man who’s quickly coming her direction. He looks like he’s an off duty soldier and Roy moves to his feet and gives him a nod. The little girl, obviously happy to be rescued by her dad, wraps her free arm around his leg as she clutches the ball to her chest with the other and Roy can’t help but smile.
“Eloise, you need to be more careful with your ball. You can’t just go running off.” The young man smiles as he brushes his hand over her curls then glances at Roy. He turns his attention back to the little girl and prods her gently. “Did you even say thank you to the Colonel for stopping your ball?”
She shakes her head side to side then shyly looks over her shoulder at Roy. She chews her lip for a moment then calls out a quick “thank you” before burying her face against her father’s leg. Roy chuckles softly as the soldier reaches down for her hand then gives him a respectful nod in return. Then he leads the little girl back to a blanket under the shade of a large oak tree where a young woman is setting out food for lunch. Roy watches the small family joyfully reassemble as the little girl crawls into her mother’s lap, ball forgotten on the grass beside her, and then turns to continue on his way.
It’s a nice afternoon and he’s not surprised to see other families enjoying the warmth of the day by the pond. He spots a father and son at the water’s edge and he smiles softly as they scatter breadcrumbs to the waterfowl gathered on the deep blue surface. The boy’s laughter rings out when one of the birds quacks loudly as it scrambles to pluck more bread from the water than his fellow ducks. A small flapping fracas ensues until the father shows his son how to scatter the bread pieces so all of the birds get a shot. The birds settle down and Roy pauses to watch, for the moment transfixed by the scene.
His parents took him to a pond like this when he was probably not much older than the little girl with the ball. He may have been young, but he still remembers it vividly. It was always a special outing to get to go to the duck pond and he was always equally fascinated by feeding the birds and the very large and definitely over fed fish. He doesn’t think about those times often and even now it almost feels like another lifetime. His ambitions have run away with his day to day life and probably his future as well. But if it means more children can have a safer world to feed ducks in then it’s more than worth it.
The breadcrumbs have apparently run out and the ducks move on to another group across the pond who are more than happy to feed them. The water ripples from fish cleaning up the scraps the ducks left behind and the boy tugs on his father’s hand imploring him with a bright voice for a cold treat. The father’s token protest barely lasts a minute and they walk over to the nearby ice cream vendor while the boy babbles on about the birds. Roy smiles and starts walking again. He’s wasted enough time sightseeing.
He follows the path past the small lake and soon passes back under the canopy of trees. It takes him back to the main cobblestone walkway through the park and he spots a phone box to his left that’s now devoid of crime tape. The smile slips from his face and he continues on past it with no other outward reaction. The site affects him less than people might think. He doesn’t pay much attention to the place where Hughes died. It’s just a location, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not a reminder. Instead he chooses to remember his life and right now he’d give his transfer and many more just to be hounded with one more sickeningly sweet story about how adorable Elysia and her mother are.
“I really could use you right now, Hughes,” he murmurs softly under his breath as he quickens his stride. Even now he feels off balance without Maes’ constant counterpoint. He’d probably deck him if he told him what happened with Edward, but then, once he helped him up and dusted him off, he’d help him figure out what happened and how to handle it. Hughes was a big picture man, and with all the insanity with monsters and corrupt officials going on Roy knows he’d have a better view of it than he does. It’s probably what got him killed. He spent weeks trying to figure out what Hughes wanted to tell him in that last phone call and he still knows he’s missing something.
Roy drapes his coat back over his shoulders and forces himself to get back into a business state of mind. The distraction of the park was nice, but now he has things that need his attention. He catches a glimpse of the Central Military Hospital through the treetops and he can’t help but smile slightly. It really is a short walk from the Investigations Building and he has no doubt this is the path Hughes took when Ed was in the hospital. He didn’t even have to ask Hughes to look in on Ed once he heard he’d been injured. He knew he’d get full updates, along with Maes’ usual pestering about his lack of a love life. What he didn’t realize was that Hughes would take it upon himself to pester Ed just as much. He smiles a bit more at the thought of Ed completely at Hughes’ mercy. If only he had him now to sort things out for him once more.
Roy pushes that thought out of his head and makes his way up the inclined path to the hospital. Shade from the trees make the walk a little more bearable but he’s still feeling the exertion in his left side. He started back up with his Tai Chi yesterday in an effort to keep the scarring from tightening up his skin and muscles, but he can still feel the pull when he stretches too much. Hopefully if he stays active enough it won’t be too bad once it heals. Soon enough he makes it to the hospital’s outer stairs and he takes them two at a time. Now that he’s close he’s anxious to see how Havoc is and he breezes his way inside as quickly as he can without drawing attention.
He’s only been to Havoc’s room once since he was released from intensive care. He’s been intending to come by more, but after seeing him so pale and nearly lifeless he couldn’t bring himself to return. All he could think as he looked at his motionless form was how it was his responsibility and the inability to do anything made him feel more helpless than he’s felt in a long time. If only Breda could’ve found Marcoh. Then, maybe, he could’ve done something. Roy walks up to the nurses’ station and quickly signs in. Rank does have its privileges and that’s all he needs to do before he’s walking down the antiseptic smelling hallway to Havoc’s room.
Once he reaches the door he stops before going inside. He doesn’t know what he’ll find on the other side and he needs a moment to compose himself. He reaches up to wipe his forehead, that’s slightly damp from the summer heat, then takes a moment to catch his breath from the brisk walk over. He’s stalling, and he knows it, but after this there’s no more pretending. Havoc’s either alright or he isn’t and unless they somehow run across Marcoh or another stone, nothing’s going to change. Roy takes one more deep breath then reaches for the door and pushes it open.
“Colonel.” Breda immediately begins to stand the instant Roy enters the room and he puts up his hand to stop him. There’s no point in holding to formalities here. Breda pauses then shoots Roy a direct look as he sits back down in his chair between the window and Havoc’s bedside. Roy responds by toying with the cuff of his plain white glove and Breda visibly relaxes. The idea of a shape shifting monster has had them all on edge. Roy casts a glance to the bed to see Havoc’s eyes are closed then turns his attention back to Breda.
“How is he?” he asks in a voice that’s hardly over a whisper. He’s not sure of the situation and he doesn’t want to wake Jean if he needs his rest.
“He’s in and out right now.” Breda speaks in a slightly louder voice than he did and Roy relaxes a bit at the easiness in his tone. Breda glances to the bed and the corner of his mouth turns up. “Apparently the docs have him on some good stuff right now because even when he’s awake he’s not all there.”
Breda’s smile tells him even more than his words and Roy breathes a soft sigh of relief. These two have been friends since the Academy and if there was something amiss with Havoc’s mind other than a drug induced haze he’s certain Breda would’ve caught it. He’s much too observant not to. But that doesn’t explain why he’s so heavily medicated. Roy frowns and takes a step closer as a soft snore slips from Havoc’s lips.
“Is he in pain?” Roy knows exactly what he had to do to him and he knows it’s not comfortable, but when he burned them he did it in a way that didn’t char their skin. It’s why his own skin isn’t blackened beyond recognition. He sealed the wounds on a nearly molecular level with alchemy. It still hurts, but not near as much as if he’d used a traditional flame. That in itself would’ve probably killed them both if he’d tried it.
“It’s his spine,” Breda says softly then looks up at Roy again. “The docs say he has a contusion in his spinal cord but they can’t tell much else right now with all the swelling. They said until that goes down they won’t know if he needs another surgery.” Breda gives him a pained look then adds, “Right now the swelling is apparently pressing on a nerve and-”
“And they didn’ wanna hear me screamin’ bloody murder anymore so they doped me up real good.” Roy’s eyes widen when he hears Havoc’s sleep roughened voice. He thought he was asleep! He looks down to see him blinking his eyes open and the instant they do they lock on Roy. “Oh, hey, Colonel. Come to see your handiwork?”
“Jean!” Breda hisses at him and shoots him a hard look. “The Colonel didn’t-”
“Ya heard those pretty nurses,” Havoc’s speech is slow and slightly slurred from the medication but they still cut Roy deeper than he’ll ever admit to. “Said he burned me up real good.” Havoc tilts his head back against the pillows to look up at Roy with unfocused eyes. “Didn’t’ know I’s such strong competition. Don’ worry though. I’ll get lotsa sympathy when I tell ‘em how you deal with compete-”
“Havoc, stop it! If it weren’t for the Colonel, you wouldn’t even be alive!”
“Ya think I dun know that?” Havoc snaps back and scowls.
“It’s alright, Breda,” Roy says as he pulls his coat from his shoulders and folds it over his arm. He steps forward to take the chair on Havoc’s other side and forces a slight smile to his lips. “If I can deal with Fullmetal’s insubordination all these years, I can deal with this.”
“Ya see? He can deal….” Havoc turns his head away from Breda, rolling it across the pillows to look at Roy again. “I do know.” He says, still with a slur to his words, but Roy doesn’t miss the sudden sharpness in his eyes. Roy sits up straight when he realizes Havoc’s more lucid than he first thought. Havoc’s eyes bore into him and Roy nods slowly as he understands what he’s not saying. Havoc knows he didn’t have a choice, even if he doesn’t like the consequences, but he understands and that’s enough.
“What can I say?” He holds Havoc’s gaze and hopes he can see how sorry he is even if he obviously doesn’t want to hear it. That’s probably why he immediately went on the offensive and he understands even if he doesn’t like it. “I have to take every advantage I can. I’m sure you understand.”
There’s a glimmer of something in Havoc’s eyes Roy swears is gratitude but it’s gone in the same instant as the haze of drugs claim him again. “Yeah, yeah, so hard to t’be a Colon’l.”
Havoc turns his head back toward Breda who’s gone completely quiet, though by the look on his face he hasn’t missed the silent communication. Good. He didn’t imagine it. Roy’s never been one for wishful thinking, but in a case like this it would be all too easy.
“So, ya tell him ‘bout how that bitch turned me in’ta a vegetable?”
“What?!” Roy sits bolt upright in the chair and has to stop himself from jumping to his feet. Is he serious? His mind spins as he tries to remember if Havoc’s moved anything but his head since he first walked in. Is he completely paralyzed? “I didn’t hear anything about-”
“Havoc, that’s not what the doctors said and you know it.” Breda’s frowning at him, but Roy doesn’t miss the concern in his eyes. He looks over to Roy and takes a breath before he speaks. “They said with all the swelling in his spine there’s no way to tell what’s permanent and what’s not. According to one of the docs they said it could takes weeks or even mon-”
“You aren’t the one tha’ can’t feel his legs so don’t tell me….” Havoc’s words drift off when Breda looks at him again and he sighs. “Yeah, okay, can’t feel my face either so…maybe you got a point.” He lifts his right hand to pat the side of his face then grins lopsidedly. “This is some good shit, Heymans, need t’getcha some.”
Breda shakes his head and smiles back at him. “And you need to stop being an ass.”
There’s a true camaraderie between these two and Roy can’t help but be reminded of him and Maes. He has no doubt if they’d ever been in a situation like this…. He cuts off that train of thought because this isn’t about him. It’s about Havoc. He’s been so concerned about him waking from the coma he didn’t give any thought to the spinal damage he must’ve received when the homunculus ran him through. He just assumed if he woke up that everything would be alright. One way or another it will be. He’ll make sure of it.
“I have some messages for you, if you’re up to hearing them.” Havoc looks back at him and tilts his head curiously.
“Yeah? Some of ya lady friends decide blond is better?” Roy smiles because it’s more than clear now what he’s doing. Yes, he’s loopy from the medication, but not as much as he’s letting on. He’s not ready to be serious and Roy can’t blame him. Being serious means accepting the possibility that his paralysis isn’t temporary and there’s no reason to do that yet. If the doctors still have hope, so should Havoc. And if and when they don’t…Roy will find a way to deal with it. He won’t leave him behind.
“Hardly. They were too busy being distracted by my smoky, bedroom eyes.” Breda’s mouth drops open at his words but Havoc grins. It’s not the first time he’s been so informal, but it is probably the first time when a few beers weren’t involved.
“More like afraid of being smoked by your…gloves or….” Havoc frowns as he gets lost in his own words but then his eyes widen as he props himself up on his left arm. “Hey! You know they won’t let me smoke in here?!” He scowls deeply then looks up at Roy with unabashed hope in his eyes. “Breda couldn’t change their minds, but surely you could. Right, Colonel? You know…since ya owe me and all?”
Roy chuckles at his manipulation attempt and nods. “I’ll see what I can do. We can’t have you detoxing on your drug of choice.” Havoc nods eagerly while Breda just shakes his head.
“You realize those things will kill you, right?” There’s a distinctly amused look on Breda’s face and Roy has a feeling he’ll be sneaking in cigarettes for him whether Roy okays it or not.
“Yeah, well, so will women ‘pparently. You sayin’ I outta quit them too?”
“Well, considering your track record lately maybe you should-”
“Hey! Not m’ fault. That’s the Colonel’s fault!” Havoc lies flat on his back again and Roy can see the strain on his face. He’s in more pain than he’s letting on and he should leave soon. It’s obvious Havoc’s trying to put on a brave front, but if he can be a little distraction for him he wants to try. “Go on, Mustang. Tell ‘im. Tell ‘im how you’ve been killin’ my game.”
“Ah, yes. I forgot about the time I expressly ordered you to go out and date a homicidal monster with ‘freaky fingers.’” He deliberately uses Havoc’s description of the homunculus which causes Breda to chuckle and Havoc to scowl. The sight causes Roy to smile because the pouting look on his face reminds him too much of a certain blond alchemist. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant, when you get out of here I’ll be more than happy to help you with your ‘game.’”
Breda snorts and Havoc makes an annoyed sound, but Roy doesn’t miss the slight upturn of his lips. “Yeeeeeah, you’d prob’ly just try to hoop me up with Armstrong’s sister or some-heeeey wait.” He blinks his eyes, obviously trying to focus as he looks at Roy. “Didn’t ya say you had messages for me?”
“I did, didn’t I?” Roy smiles then rolls his eyes skyward as if he’s trying to remember them. Havoc’s the one who snorts this time and Roy finally relents. “I’m fairly certain you’ll be having some visitors tonight, if you’re up for it of course.” Havoc smiles tiredly and nods. Roy has no doubt from the look Breda’s giving him he won’t let Havoc get too overwhelmed with visitors. He really should be leaving soon so he’s not too worn out by the time they get here. “Aslo, I believe Falman said he’s been covering your paperwork for you.”
Havoc smiles a little broader and closes his eyes. “Leave it to Falman to always be looking out for me,” he laughs weakly and Roy takes the opportunity to stand. There’s no reason for Havoc to be putting on a front for him but he has a feeling he will as long as he’s still here.
“Well I should probably be going. Have all those ladies to tend to, you know.” He drapes his coat back around his shoulders and nods to Breda when he gives him a grateful look. Havoc’s lucky to have such a good friend looking out for him. Hopefully they’ll eventually be able to track down Marcoh and help speed his healing along. He turns for the door but stops when Havoc calls out to him.
“Hey, Chief.” Roy looks back over his shoulder at the familiar title to find Havoc staring at him with tired but clear eyes. He smiles weakly then nods slightly and Roy can tell even that small movement was an effort. “Thanks.”
Roy nods once and Havoc closes his eyes again. His face creases in pain and Roy forces himself not to immediately look away. He knows Havoc wasn’t being serious before, but he was right. This was his fault and somehow he’ll make it right. He turns away with Havoc’s face firmly etched in his memory and quietly leaves the room. At least he’s recovering. It’s a step in the right direction. Now if only he could figure out how to deal with his other troubled subordinate.
As this was written for big_bigbang, we had the pleasure of working with the wonderful aquerna who created the above artwork illustrating a moment in this chapter. A big Thank You from both of us for the gorgeous work!! For the full size image please click here
Previous | Series Index | Next
Summary: After facing Lust under the Third Laboratory, Roy and Ed have teamed up to learn more about the homunculi while waiting for the other shoe to drop. In the process they find themselves learning more about each other and seeing past differences that have divided them for years. Will these welcome distractions tear them apart or bring new and unexpected possibilities for them both?
AUTHOR: catw00man and zippitgood
RATING: R
UNIVERSE: Another Road Traveled
SERIES: Promise Filled Sky
CHARACTERS: Roy Mustang/Edward Elric, Heymans Breda, Jean Havoc, Alphonse Elric, Ling Yao, Lan Fan, Winry Rockbell, Riza Hawkeye, Kain Fuery, Vato Falman, Gracia Hughes
CHALLENGE: Written for the 2012 round of big_bigbang
COMPLETED: Dec 11, 2012
WORD COUNT: 6,661 (Chapter), 76,515 (Overall)
DISCLAIMER: The characters portrayed within are not ours. This is merely a loving response to the original work.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is part of a larger Universe called Another Road Traveled. Promise Filled Sky falls within this universe and chronicles the beginning of the saga. This story immediately follows A New Dawn. Other stories within this universe may be found HERE.
ARTIST: The beautiful art for this story was provided by the very talented aquerna as part of the 2012 big_bigbang challenge.
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AO3 |
This time he didn’t go after Ed.
How could he? Not after what he let happen, though he’s still not completely clear what exactly happened. All he intended to do was try and ease Ed’s hangover and the next thing he knew Ed’s warm lips were pressed against his own. His only saving grace was that Ed pulled away before Roy did anything more inappropriate. Unfortunately the damage was already done. Ed didn’t even bother to take his shoes….
“Sir?”
Roy physically jumps at the sound of Hawkeye’s voice and in the next instant he’s trying to compose himself behind his desk as if nothing were awry. If she only knew…. No, if she knew she’d probably take him out behind the main part of Central Command, shoot him in an inappropriate location, and dump his worthless corpse in the adjacent moat. This is definitely not something he needs to share, accident or not. He makes sure to school his features then looks up at his subordinate standing at his side. “Yes, Lieutenant? Did you need something?”
She gives him a knowing look that makes his insides twist into knots then leans closer with her hands clasped behind her back. “I can’t help but notice you’ve been rather distracted today, Colonel.”
Roy’s mouth goes dry and he gives an acknowledging nod as he looks straight ahead instead of into her all too observant eyes. “Is that so?” He’s been using his public desk lately instead of his private office to give the appearance all is normal and right now he focuses on watching Falman meticulously straighten his desk before returning to his typing. If there’s anyone who’s more of a neat freak than him it’s Falman. Apparently he’s still catching up on reports from his extended “sick leave.” Roy clears his throat slightly and adds, “I wasn’t aware I was giving that impression.”
“Yes, sir, you were.” Roy nods again and listens to the unmistakable clack-clack of Falman’s typewriter which is much more pleasing to the ear than this conversation. “But it’s completely understandable.”
He blinks and attempts to keep a straight face. She can’t possibly think that. He’s much too old to even be considering-
“I think you should go see him. I’m certain he would like that.”
“You what?” Roy whips his head around to find a soft and sympathetic look on Hawkeye’s face. How? How can she look at him that way after what he’s done? Sure it was all a mistake and he was using a science he only partially understands, but it’s still no excuse. He sees puzzlement creep into her expression and it finally occurs to him she may be talking about something else altogether. “I mean…who?”
“Havoc.” She frowns and inches a little closer as she lowers her voice to an urgent whisper. “Colonel? Are you alright?” She unclasps her hands and tilts her head with concern. “Maybe you should have stayed in the hospital a little lon-”
“Colonel Mustang!” Roy looks back over the front of his desk and breathes a sigh of relief at the welcome distraction of Kain hurrying back into the office. He rushes up to the desk and after a direct look from Roy reaches up to adjust his glasses with his left hand, the opposite one he’d normally use. It’s his silent cue indicating he is who he appears to be. They’re all using these signals now after learning about Envy’s apparent shape shifting ways.
“Yes, Sergeant? Is something wrong?” Roy can tell by his flushed cheeks that whatever the news is it’s important. Did Ed go out and do something completely irrational? The broad grin breaking out across Kain’s face suggests otherwise. Whatever it is he seems to think it’s good.
“No, no, sir, nothing’s wrong.” He pauses to catch his breath then beams at Roy again. “It’s Havoc. Breda says he’s awake!”
In the space of an instant the entire office goes silent with the exception of a single extra keystroke from Falman’s typewriter. It’s as if they’re all frozen in time on the off chance Kain may say something to take the news back. But he doesn’t and that changes everything. In the next moment, everyone’s talking at once and he doesn’t bother to stop them. This is the news they’ve been waiting on for far too long.
Wasn’t it only a week ago the doctors were telling him Havoc shouldn’t wake up at all? He looked into things himself and there was a high probability that the hypovolemic shock could’ve cut off oxygen to his brain and caused damaged. There’s still a chance things might not be right, but that’s a worry for another time. For now all that matters is he’s out of the coma. Havoc’s awake and that’s the first step in the right direction.
Roy put his hands on his desk then pushes out of his chair. Hawkeye shoots him a look but he ignores it as he walks over to the corner to get his black coat from the coatrack. He folds it over his arm and isn’t surprised at the questioning and concerned look he faces when he turns around.
“Sir?”
“You were right, Lieutenant. It has been a long day.” He walks over to his desk to retrieve a few papers containing notes he wants to cross reference at home then drapes his coat over his shoulders. It should still be too hot outside to slip it on, but wearing it this way makes a certain imposing impression and should hide any hints of his remaining injuries. “I believe I’m going to take your advice and pay a visit to our second lieutenant.”
“I-yes, sir. That’s a good idea but-”
He can tell Hawkeye would like to interrogate him further about their earlier conversation but thankfully the others in the office aren’t going to give her a chance.
“Colonel, would you please tell him we’re all thinking about him? I’ve nearly caught up on all of mine and his reports.”
“Yes, sir, could you let him know I’ll come by to see him later tonight? I’m almost finished with the communication logs and I’ll be right over.”
Roy smiles at the exuberance coming from everyone and the way the ever present pall over the office is instantly lifted. He knows how they feel. Yesterday he even caught himself missing the pungent odor of Havoc’s usual afternoon cigarettes which is something he never expected. He nods to each of them in turn then pauses by Hawkeye on his way out the door. “Thank you for your concern, Lieutenant. I’ll be sure to get plenty of rest after my visit.”
She nods, as he expected she would, but she knows him much too well to be completely fooled by his act. Hopefully his allusion to his health will be enough to satisfy her from looking into things more. The pleasant distraction of Havoc’s recovery should also keep her distracted, at least he hopes that’s the case. All he needs now is to have to answer questions as to why Ed practically ran screaming from his house.
Roy forces a smile to his lips as he strolls past his subordinates’ desks and out of the office. As long as he keeps up appearances he should be fine…unless Ed decides to expose him. As it is, he’s been expecting a menacing visit from a certain seven foot tall suit of armor all day. But when lunch passed without Alphonse’s appearance he began to hope that maybe Ed kept things to himself for once, though he’s not holding his breath on that one. Chances are his younger brother is just waiting for a better opportunity to confront him…alone.
He sighs at the disturbing possibilities that swirl through his mind at the thought and makes his way through the halls of the building quickly. He’ll need to track Ed down at some point, but he still doesn’t feel right chasing after him. He just hopes he hasn’t driven him to drink again because who will be there to carry him back home if he has? Roy shakes his head and takes the stairs over the elevator to avoid any chance of conversation. He’s in no mood for small talk.
He makes it half a flight down when a young secretary with her arms full of reports runs head long into him on the second floor landing. Roy manages to keep his footing but the petite redhead ends up falling onto her backside and all the papers she was carrying end up floating down around her like oversized snowflakes. A look of horror spreads across her face and Roy isn’t sure if it’s from the undignified position she landed in, the fact that he’s the one she ran into, or that the documents she was carrying are scattered all over the floor. Considering the first thing she does is try to pull down her skirt and fix her hair he’s suspects it might be a mixture of the first two.
He takes a closer look as she brushes her hair out of her eyes and he’s certain he recognizes her from the Lieutenant General’s office on the top floor. Considering he heads this entire installation, chances are there could be valuable information in these documents. If he’s careful, maybe he can catch a glimpse of something useful. Roy kneels down to help the young woman gather up the paper and “accidentally” scatters a large pile of them further across the floor. The woman makes a sound of distress and he quickly works to distract her.
“I’m so sorry, Miss…Evelyn, isn’t it?” Her blue eyes widen and he’s certain he got her name right. He does his best to remember every name he can for this very reason, people tend to trust you more when you do. He shoots her his best winning smile as he gathers up the least mundane looking report and as expected her cheeks blush red from the attention. “You’re working on the top floor with General Armato, aren’t you?”
Evelyn flushes again and nearly drops the papers she’s already gathered up. “Yes, yes I am. I’m-I’m so sorry, sir, Colonel, I mean, Mustang. Colonel Mustang. I wasn’t watching-”
Her words cut off with a gasp when he reaches out and touches her forearm. He gives her a warm, reassuring smile which causes her eyes to initially widen even more. “It’s quite alright. I was in a hurry myself. Please, let me help you with these.” He looks her over briefly, enough to show interest without seeming inappropriate, and she returns his smile shyly.
“Thank you. Thank you, sir. You’re much too kind.” She dips her head forward slightly, her attention entirely on him now and he takes advantage of it as he gathers and sifts through the documents. He doesn’t have time to read much but he can see much of the paperwork is day to day bureaucratic nonsense. He gathers these pages quickly then shoves them into her hands when she leans for another folder. The unruly pile distracts her enough for him to snatch up the only thing that doesn’t look routine.
Roy only has a moment to glance at the report but it’s more than enough. Years of pushing papers has taught him how to glean the important bits from meaningless babble. He shuffles the pages so he can see the meat of the report and the words “local compendium” catch his eye. They’re underlined twice with thick strokes and are followed by a list of names he barely gets a peek at. Unfortunately Evelyn has gathered up all the rest of the documents and is reaching for the ones in Roy’s hands.
He needs a better look but he can’t be too obvious. Chances are the young woman will mention his name later and he doesn’t need her remembering he was lingering over this report. He smiles at her again as he moves to stand and reaches out with the report. He clumsily drops it to the floor again with a skilled flip of the wrist and gives her a sly smile.
“My apologies, Miss Evelyn. Women with beautiful eyes tend to make me a little out of sorts.” She gasps softly and nearly drops the rest of her papers again. Roy winks at her in an effort to further unnerve her and reaches down for the folder that’s spilled its contents again. “Here, let me get that for you.”
Roy leans down to collect the report and quickly scans the list of names. He recognizes one as a shop he’s familiar with and quickly memorizes as many of the others as he can. He manages to get about half of them stored away in his memory as he continues to play the game he’s imminently familiar with. “Here you are. Once again I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience. I hope I haven’t made you late.”
Roy slides the folder into the midst of the pile in her hands. With any luck she won’t remember which one was the last to drop. She readjusts the slippery pile of folders in her arms again then reaches up to adjust her dark rimmed glasses. “Thank-thank you, sir. These-these things happen.”
“That they do,” he murmurs in a smooth tone. The adoring look she’s giving him leaves no doubt she’ll be relaying this exchange. He only hopes her story will focus on the “smokiness” of his eyes instead of the actual course of events. His mind’s already spinning from the tiny bit of information he’s certain he wasn’t meant to see. It’s not much, but it could indicate Ed’s current course of research is on the right track. He’ll just need to follow up on that list of shops to be sure.
“Please, have a wonderful day,” he tells her with a smile as he reaches down for the coat that’s fallen off his shoulders. He replaces it with a flourish that has her eyes locked on him and he gives her a knowing nod as he moves to the side and out of her way.
“Oh I will! I will, sir. Thank you!” She clutches the folders to her chest as if they were a priceless gift then quickly hurries past him. He waits until she’s heading up the stairs again before turning to continue down, but he doesn’t miss the quick glances she shoots back his way. She’s definitely interested in his attention. He’ll need to keep that in mind. Perhaps he can have another run in with Miss Evelyn in the future.
Roy quickly makes his way down the remaining two flights of stairs then he’s out the door and into the warm, bright day. He takes the front door, instead of the back, because he won’t be taking his car to the hospital. It’s within easy walking distance through the South Central Park and it’s much easier to walk than to find a parking spot. He heads down the marble stairs and into the welcome green of the park, a rarity in this part of Central. He may not be stationed in the main part of Command yet, but the South Gate Command Center is really the next best thing. Hughes would’ve been thrilled with his reassignment. It’s the closest exterior command center to the Investigations Building and Roy knows that would’ve been the perfect excuse for Hughes to pester him every chance he had.
His features harden as he glances toward the building Hughes worked in for years and he barely keeps his teeth from grinding together. He doesn’t like to show outward weakness regardless of the turmoil inside. His steps falter and before he knows it he’s standing before the imposing building with tall marble columns. How many times would they have met out here, taking advantage of the simple convenience? He never would’ve been able to get Hughes out of his hair and his chest aches at the missed opportunities. Hughes would’ve driven him crazy, but right now he’d give about anything to have a picture of his cherub cheeked “little angel” shoved in his face right now. Roy shakes his head once then tucks his hands into his pockets as he turns and continues along the cobbled path.
He never admitted it to Hughes, but some part of him was looking forward to the special insanity that being in the same town with him would bring. He has no doubt Hughes knew anyway. He always
was better at reading him than anyone else nowadays. Roy was even looking forward to chance to spend some time with his family, though that’s never been something he’s done much of. But after spending so much time in the drab backwaters of Eastern Command he wanted to see that normalcy, preferably in a green and thriving place like this. He wanted a glimpse of the people he was fighting for and Maes’ family was always a shining example of that.
But not anymore.
The heat of the day suddenly bears down on him and he pulls his coat from his shoulders and folds it over his right arm. Actually, it’s not that hot, but he pretends all the same to distract himself from thoughts he doesn’t have time to face. Instead he focuses on the lushness of the trees and the rich green grass that’s always impeccably manicured all the way up to the path. He missed things like this in Eastern Command which was so much more barren than the areas surrounding it, almost as if the city itself sucked up all the life and fed it to the machine of the Amestrian Military. He’s glad to see in Central, at least, there’s still a little life to be seen.
Roy comes to a fork in the path and with no hesitation he chooses the one to the right which takes him toward the pond and underneath a dense canopy of trees. It’s the long way to the hospital, but he prefers the more scenic route. As he emerges from the shadows of the trees, he hears a slew of animal calls and glances toward the small lake. There’s a clearing surrounding it and some children are taking advantage of the lack of trees to fly kites. He watches one swoop through the air but then stops short when a bright red ball bounces into his path.
He stops the ball with his foot then looks around for the source of the rolling object. He spots a little girl with curly brown locks looking at him with wide green eyes a few feet away. She can’t be more than three or four and he squats down to pick up the ball. He stays on her level as he holds it out with a smile that’s more genuine than any most people see. He doesn’t have much experience with children, but Elysia never liked it when he gave her a look that was less than genuine. Maybe children really are more perceptive than adults.
The little girl doesn’t move and neither does he. He has a feeling he’d probably scare her away if he did. She bites her lip when he slowly shakes the ball then suddenly runs toward him and snatches it from his hand. She pauses only long enough to give him a huge smile then toddles off toward a young man who’s quickly coming her direction. He looks like he’s an off duty soldier and Roy moves to his feet and gives him a nod. The little girl, obviously happy to be rescued by her dad, wraps her free arm around his leg as she clutches the ball to her chest with the other and Roy can’t help but smile.
“Eloise, you need to be more careful with your ball. You can’t just go running off.” The young man smiles as he brushes his hand over her curls then glances at Roy. He turns his attention back to the little girl and prods her gently. “Did you even say thank you to the Colonel for stopping your ball?”
She shakes her head side to side then shyly looks over her shoulder at Roy. She chews her lip for a moment then calls out a quick “thank you” before burying her face against her father’s leg. Roy chuckles softly as the soldier reaches down for her hand then gives him a respectful nod in return. Then he leads the little girl back to a blanket under the shade of a large oak tree where a young woman is setting out food for lunch. Roy watches the small family joyfully reassemble as the little girl crawls into her mother’s lap, ball forgotten on the grass beside her, and then turns to continue on his way.
It’s a nice afternoon and he’s not surprised to see other families enjoying the warmth of the day by the pond. He spots a father and son at the water’s edge and he smiles softly as they scatter breadcrumbs to the waterfowl gathered on the deep blue surface. The boy’s laughter rings out when one of the birds quacks loudly as it scrambles to pluck more bread from the water than his fellow ducks. A small flapping fracas ensues until the father shows his son how to scatter the bread pieces so all of the birds get a shot. The birds settle down and Roy pauses to watch, for the moment transfixed by the scene.
His parents took him to a pond like this when he was probably not much older than the little girl with the ball. He may have been young, but he still remembers it vividly. It was always a special outing to get to go to the duck pond and he was always equally fascinated by feeding the birds and the very large and definitely over fed fish. He doesn’t think about those times often and even now it almost feels like another lifetime. His ambitions have run away with his day to day life and probably his future as well. But if it means more children can have a safer world to feed ducks in then it’s more than worth it.
The breadcrumbs have apparently run out and the ducks move on to another group across the pond who are more than happy to feed them. The water ripples from fish cleaning up the scraps the ducks left behind and the boy tugs on his father’s hand imploring him with a bright voice for a cold treat. The father’s token protest barely lasts a minute and they walk over to the nearby ice cream vendor while the boy babbles on about the birds. Roy smiles and starts walking again. He’s wasted enough time sightseeing.
He follows the path past the small lake and soon passes back under the canopy of trees. It takes him back to the main cobblestone walkway through the park and he spots a phone box to his left that’s now devoid of crime tape. The smile slips from his face and he continues on past it with no other outward reaction. The site affects him less than people might think. He doesn’t pay much attention to the place where Hughes died. It’s just a location, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not a reminder. Instead he chooses to remember his life and right now he’d give his transfer and many more just to be hounded with one more sickeningly sweet story about how adorable Elysia and her mother are.
“I really could use you right now, Hughes,” he murmurs softly under his breath as he quickens his stride. Even now he feels off balance without Maes’ constant counterpoint. He’d probably deck him if he told him what happened with Edward, but then, once he helped him up and dusted him off, he’d help him figure out what happened and how to handle it. Hughes was a big picture man, and with all the insanity with monsters and corrupt officials going on Roy knows he’d have a better view of it than he does. It’s probably what got him killed. He spent weeks trying to figure out what Hughes wanted to tell him in that last phone call and he still knows he’s missing something.
Roy drapes his coat back over his shoulders and forces himself to get back into a business state of mind. The distraction of the park was nice, but now he has things that need his attention. He catches a glimpse of the Central Military Hospital through the treetops and he can’t help but smile slightly. It really is a short walk from the Investigations Building and he has no doubt this is the path Hughes took when Ed was in the hospital. He didn’t even have to ask Hughes to look in on Ed once he heard he’d been injured. He knew he’d get full updates, along with Maes’ usual pestering about his lack of a love life. What he didn’t realize was that Hughes would take it upon himself to pester Ed just as much. He smiles a bit more at the thought of Ed completely at Hughes’ mercy. If only he had him now to sort things out for him once more.
Roy pushes that thought out of his head and makes his way up the inclined path to the hospital. Shade from the trees make the walk a little more bearable but he’s still feeling the exertion in his left side. He started back up with his Tai Chi yesterday in an effort to keep the scarring from tightening up his skin and muscles, but he can still feel the pull when he stretches too much. Hopefully if he stays active enough it won’t be too bad once it heals. Soon enough he makes it to the hospital’s outer stairs and he takes them two at a time. Now that he’s close he’s anxious to see how Havoc is and he breezes his way inside as quickly as he can without drawing attention.
He’s only been to Havoc’s room once since he was released from intensive care. He’s been intending to come by more, but after seeing him so pale and nearly lifeless he couldn’t bring himself to return. All he could think as he looked at his motionless form was how it was his responsibility and the inability to do anything made him feel more helpless than he’s felt in a long time. If only Breda could’ve found Marcoh. Then, maybe, he could’ve done something. Roy walks up to the nurses’ station and quickly signs in. Rank does have its privileges and that’s all he needs to do before he’s walking down the antiseptic smelling hallway to Havoc’s room.
Once he reaches the door he stops before going inside. He doesn’t know what he’ll find on the other side and he needs a moment to compose himself. He reaches up to wipe his forehead, that’s slightly damp from the summer heat, then takes a moment to catch his breath from the brisk walk over. He’s stalling, and he knows it, but after this there’s no more pretending. Havoc’s either alright or he isn’t and unless they somehow run across Marcoh or another stone, nothing’s going to change. Roy takes one more deep breath then reaches for the door and pushes it open.
“Colonel.” Breda immediately begins to stand the instant Roy enters the room and he puts up his hand to stop him. There’s no point in holding to formalities here. Breda pauses then shoots Roy a direct look as he sits back down in his chair between the window and Havoc’s bedside. Roy responds by toying with the cuff of his plain white glove and Breda visibly relaxes. The idea of a shape shifting monster has had them all on edge. Roy casts a glance to the bed to see Havoc’s eyes are closed then turns his attention back to Breda.
“How is he?” he asks in a voice that’s hardly over a whisper. He’s not sure of the situation and he doesn’t want to wake Jean if he needs his rest.
“He’s in and out right now.” Breda speaks in a slightly louder voice than he did and Roy relaxes a bit at the easiness in his tone. Breda glances to the bed and the corner of his mouth turns up. “Apparently the docs have him on some good stuff right now because even when he’s awake he’s not all there.”
Breda’s smile tells him even more than his words and Roy breathes a soft sigh of relief. These two have been friends since the Academy and if there was something amiss with Havoc’s mind other than a drug induced haze he’s certain Breda would’ve caught it. He’s much too observant not to. But that doesn’t explain why he’s so heavily medicated. Roy frowns and takes a step closer as a soft snore slips from Havoc’s lips.
“Is he in pain?” Roy knows exactly what he had to do to him and he knows it’s not comfortable, but when he burned them he did it in a way that didn’t char their skin. It’s why his own skin isn’t blackened beyond recognition. He sealed the wounds on a nearly molecular level with alchemy. It still hurts, but not near as much as if he’d used a traditional flame. That in itself would’ve probably killed them both if he’d tried it.
“It’s his spine,” Breda says softly then looks up at Roy again. “The docs say he has a contusion in his spinal cord but they can’t tell much else right now with all the swelling. They said until that goes down they won’t know if he needs another surgery.” Breda gives him a pained look then adds, “Right now the swelling is apparently pressing on a nerve and-”
“And they didn’ wanna hear me screamin’ bloody murder anymore so they doped me up real good.” Roy’s eyes widen when he hears Havoc’s sleep roughened voice. He thought he was asleep! He looks down to see him blinking his eyes open and the instant they do they lock on Roy. “Oh, hey, Colonel. Come to see your handiwork?”
“Jean!” Breda hisses at him and shoots him a hard look. “The Colonel didn’t-”
“Ya heard those pretty nurses,” Havoc’s speech is slow and slightly slurred from the medication but they still cut Roy deeper than he’ll ever admit to. “Said he burned me up real good.” Havoc tilts his head back against the pillows to look up at Roy with unfocused eyes. “Didn’t’ know I’s such strong competition. Don’ worry though. I’ll get lotsa sympathy when I tell ‘em how you deal with compete-”
“Havoc, stop it! If it weren’t for the Colonel, you wouldn’t even be alive!”
“Ya think I dun know that?” Havoc snaps back and scowls.
“It’s alright, Breda,” Roy says as he pulls his coat from his shoulders and folds it over his arm. He steps forward to take the chair on Havoc’s other side and forces a slight smile to his lips. “If I can deal with Fullmetal’s insubordination all these years, I can deal with this.”
“Ya see? He can deal….” Havoc turns his head away from Breda, rolling it across the pillows to look at Roy again. “I do know.” He says, still with a slur to his words, but Roy doesn’t miss the sudden sharpness in his eyes. Roy sits up straight when he realizes Havoc’s more lucid than he first thought. Havoc’s eyes bore into him and Roy nods slowly as he understands what he’s not saying. Havoc knows he didn’t have a choice, even if he doesn’t like the consequences, but he understands and that’s enough.
“What can I say?” He holds Havoc’s gaze and hopes he can see how sorry he is even if he obviously doesn’t want to hear it. That’s probably why he immediately went on the offensive and he understands even if he doesn’t like it. “I have to take every advantage I can. I’m sure you understand.”
There’s a glimmer of something in Havoc’s eyes Roy swears is gratitude but it’s gone in the same instant as the haze of drugs claim him again. “Yeah, yeah, so hard to t’be a Colon’l.”
Havoc turns his head back toward Breda who’s gone completely quiet, though by the look on his face he hasn’t missed the silent communication. Good. He didn’t imagine it. Roy’s never been one for wishful thinking, but in a case like this it would be all too easy.
“So, ya tell him ‘bout how that bitch turned me in’ta a vegetable?”
“What?!” Roy sits bolt upright in the chair and has to stop himself from jumping to his feet. Is he serious? His mind spins as he tries to remember if Havoc’s moved anything but his head since he first walked in. Is he completely paralyzed? “I didn’t hear anything about-”
“Havoc, that’s not what the doctors said and you know it.” Breda’s frowning at him, but Roy doesn’t miss the concern in his eyes. He looks over to Roy and takes a breath before he speaks. “They said with all the swelling in his spine there’s no way to tell what’s permanent and what’s not. According to one of the docs they said it could takes weeks or even mon-”
“You aren’t the one tha’ can’t feel his legs so don’t tell me….” Havoc’s words drift off when Breda looks at him again and he sighs. “Yeah, okay, can’t feel my face either so…maybe you got a point.” He lifts his right hand to pat the side of his face then grins lopsidedly. “This is some good shit, Heymans, need t’getcha some.”
Breda shakes his head and smiles back at him. “And you need to stop being an ass.”
There’s a true camaraderie between these two and Roy can’t help but be reminded of him and Maes. He has no doubt if they’d ever been in a situation like this…. He cuts off that train of thought because this isn’t about him. It’s about Havoc. He’s been so concerned about him waking from the coma he didn’t give any thought to the spinal damage he must’ve received when the homunculus ran him through. He just assumed if he woke up that everything would be alright. One way or another it will be. He’ll make sure of it.
“I have some messages for you, if you’re up to hearing them.” Havoc looks back at him and tilts his head curiously.
“Yeah? Some of ya lady friends decide blond is better?” Roy smiles because it’s more than clear now what he’s doing. Yes, he’s loopy from the medication, but not as much as he’s letting on. He’s not ready to be serious and Roy can’t blame him. Being serious means accepting the possibility that his paralysis isn’t temporary and there’s no reason to do that yet. If the doctors still have hope, so should Havoc. And if and when they don’t…Roy will find a way to deal with it. He won’t leave him behind.
“Hardly. They were too busy being distracted by my smoky, bedroom eyes.” Breda’s mouth drops open at his words but Havoc grins. It’s not the first time he’s been so informal, but it is probably the first time when a few beers weren’t involved.
“More like afraid of being smoked by your…gloves or….” Havoc frowns as he gets lost in his own words but then his eyes widen as he props himself up on his left arm. “Hey! You know they won’t let me smoke in here?!” He scowls deeply then looks up at Roy with unabashed hope in his eyes. “Breda couldn’t change their minds, but surely you could. Right, Colonel? You know…since ya owe me and all?”
Roy chuckles at his manipulation attempt and nods. “I’ll see what I can do. We can’t have you detoxing on your drug of choice.” Havoc nods eagerly while Breda just shakes his head.
“You realize those things will kill you, right?” There’s a distinctly amused look on Breda’s face and Roy has a feeling he’ll be sneaking in cigarettes for him whether Roy okays it or not.
“Yeah, well, so will women ‘pparently. You sayin’ I outta quit them too?”
“Well, considering your track record lately maybe you should-”
“Hey! Not m’ fault. That’s the Colonel’s fault!” Havoc lies flat on his back again and Roy can see the strain on his face. He’s in more pain than he’s letting on and he should leave soon. It’s obvious Havoc’s trying to put on a brave front, but if he can be a little distraction for him he wants to try. “Go on, Mustang. Tell ‘im. Tell ‘im how you’ve been killin’ my game.”
“Ah, yes. I forgot about the time I expressly ordered you to go out and date a homicidal monster with ‘freaky fingers.’” He deliberately uses Havoc’s description of the homunculus which causes Breda to chuckle and Havoc to scowl. The sight causes Roy to smile because the pouting look on his face reminds him too much of a certain blond alchemist. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant, when you get out of here I’ll be more than happy to help you with your ‘game.’”
Breda snorts and Havoc makes an annoyed sound, but Roy doesn’t miss the slight upturn of his lips. “Yeeeeeah, you’d prob’ly just try to hoop me up with Armstrong’s sister or some-heeeey wait.” He blinks his eyes, obviously trying to focus as he looks at Roy. “Didn’t ya say you had messages for me?”
“I did, didn’t I?” Roy smiles then rolls his eyes skyward as if he’s trying to remember them. Havoc’s the one who snorts this time and Roy finally relents. “I’m fairly certain you’ll be having some visitors tonight, if you’re up for it of course.” Havoc smiles tiredly and nods. Roy has no doubt from the look Breda’s giving him he won’t let Havoc get too overwhelmed with visitors. He really should be leaving soon so he’s not too worn out by the time they get here. “Aslo, I believe Falman said he’s been covering your paperwork for you.”
Havoc smiles a little broader and closes his eyes. “Leave it to Falman to always be looking out for me,” he laughs weakly and Roy takes the opportunity to stand. There’s no reason for Havoc to be putting on a front for him but he has a feeling he will as long as he’s still here.
“Well I should probably be going. Have all those ladies to tend to, you know.” He drapes his coat back around his shoulders and nods to Breda when he gives him a grateful look. Havoc’s lucky to have such a good friend looking out for him. Hopefully they’ll eventually be able to track down Marcoh and help speed his healing along. He turns for the door but stops when Havoc calls out to him.
“Hey, Chief.” Roy looks back over his shoulder at the familiar title to find Havoc staring at him with tired but clear eyes. He smiles weakly then nods slightly and Roy can tell even that small movement was an effort. “Thanks.”
Roy nods once and Havoc closes his eyes again. His face creases in pain and Roy forces himself not to immediately look away. He knows Havoc wasn’t being serious before, but he was right. This was his fault and somehow he’ll make it right. He turns away with Havoc’s face firmly etched in his memory and quietly leaves the room. At least he’s recovering. It’s a step in the right direction. Now if only he could figure out how to deal with his other troubled subordinate.
As this was written for big_bigbang, we had the pleasure of working with the wonderful aquerna who created the above artwork illustrating a moment in this chapter. A big Thank You from both of us for the gorgeous work!! For the full size image please click here
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