Fullmetal Alchemist: Roy/Ed/Pride // Kitty's List #09 Backyard
Title: Lead And Follow
Author: automailvariant
Pairing: Roy/Ed/Pride
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Rating: R (Language, Violence)
Occasionally, Ed would stand from his place at the desk in Roy's library, leaving his book open with a slip of paper as a marker just in case, and stretch, his automail creaking slightly with the pressure and his unmoved bones popping back into a comfortable arrangement.
Sometimes during his breaks, he'd call Al- in Resembool with the Rockbells- just to hear his human voice, and pace back and forth, twirling the phone cord around metal digits as they debated Ed's newest theory, or Al described the new alchemy-made automail parts he and Winry had designed. That took the edge off his research, and after a long goodbye, he'd sit back down to study.
Other times, he'd speak with Pride, or teach the homunculus games like rock, paper, scissors, or read to him, to get his mind away from the boring, drawl subjects of his own books. Even after the first few weeks, Roy still didn't like him spending time with his semi-mortal counterpart, but Edward just stuck out his tongue, because Roy had to go to work sometime, and Pride became just as bored as Ed did without anything to do.
One particular weekday, early in the afternoon, Edward went through his stretching routine and determined the day nice enough to train outside, so his mismatched steps took him from the library into the hall, then the living room, where Pride sat on the couch, a book open on his lap, looking at the diagrams within.
Ed smiled; he recognized the book. It was simple, easy to follow alchemy, much like the one he and Al had first used to gain knowledge of their basic arrays. Of course, he knew that Pride couldn't do alchemy- he'd tried getting the homunculus to use the most simple of arrays and explained it to him, just in case, but to no avail.
"Hey," he said, looking over Pride's shoulder. "What'cha readin'?"
The homunculus' entire form flickered- Ed had surprised him- and he looked up, then back down at the words spread across his lap. "Pictures."
"Uh-huh. You wanna put that down for a while? We can go outside. It's a nice day."
He considered, obviously torn. "Roy said 'no outside.'"
That much was true. The colonel didn't like Pride going outside; he'd attract too much attention, especially if he was spotted with Ed. It wasn't every day there was another Fullmetal Alchemist running around. Ed, though, just snorted. "Yeah, well, Mr. Worrywart isn't here. Besides, we're just going into the back yard."
"Back yard," the blonde copy parroted. That was still outside, wasn't it?
"Yeah. Come on. It'll only be a few minutes." Ed took Pride's hand, standing him up and leading him to the back door through the kitchen, out onto the small, covered porch, then down into the grass and sun.
It felt warm against his skin, and Pride tilted his head up, closing his eyes and actually enjoying something he only rarely even got to see. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully, and Ed released his hand, walking a few steps, then starting at a jog around the small yard. Pride watched him, then copied his movements, and soon they were jogging side by side, circling the perimeter of the grass and skirting the small corner garden that Roy liked to keep.
Ed slowed, then stopped after five laps, barely out of breath, and considered his double for a moment.
"Huh. Hey, Pride. Lemme show you something. Do like me, only opposite, okay?"
He raised his flesh arm, balling his fist and holding it slightly out from his forehead in an upper block. Pride did as he was told, his right arm mimicking Ed's left.
"Good. Now here," Ed directed, switching arms, to which Pride immediately responded. They repeated the process with an outside block, a low block and an inside block, Edward taking the lead and Pride following with the opposite immediately.
The homunculus had perfect form, Ed noted as he stood straight once more- Pride did the same, bringing his hands to his sides.
"You know how to spar?" Ed asked, and Pride watched him before responding with a question of his own.
"Spar?"
"Yeah, you know, practice fighting? Punches and kicks and stuff?"
Oh. That. Punching and kicking he knew. Playing. He and Envy would do that all the time, even if the other sin didn't like him to play back.
"Playing."
"Uh.. yeah, I guess you could call it that," Ed offered. "Since no one gets hurt. You know how to play?"
"Yes," Pride responded, nodding.
"Alright, then." Ed's weight shifted, and he sunk into a stance, watching as Pride did the same. "Don't copy me," he warned, and rushed forward, ducking low to deliver the first blow.
The homunculus saw it and immediately dodged, giving Ed a wide berth and turning to watch as he moved again, using his momentum to swipe low at Pride's feet. Again, another easy dodge, and the other blonde flipped in midair, landing on his feet a few yards away.
"Hey, come on!" Ed called, flexing his flesh hand. "You gotta try and hit me back!"
Pride didn't have time to argue, forced into movement by the other blonde's charge. He blocked the punch and followed directions, ducking low to bring his fist in an uppercut.
That was unexpected, and it scraped Ed's skin as he backed up, gaining his footing once more.
"Yeah," he said, grinning. "Like that."
He feigned right, then dodged left, going low to get at Pride's vulnerable side, but the sin was now going on directions and following his every movement. Ed's hand was caught and twisted, bringing him close enough for a punch to the stomach to connect, driving the air from his lungs.
He wrenched free, backing up and gasping, a feral glint in his eye as he watched his counterpart. "Better. Again!"
Another charge, a different angle, but Pride saw through it, bringing his arm up to shove into Ed's chest and stop him, then using a swift motion to the back of the blonde's leg to send him to his knees, and delivering a roundhouse kick to his side.
The homunculus heard a crack, and Ed's eyes went wide, then closed as he slumped forward into the grass. And Pride watched, because Envy always got up after that combination, and Pride was forced up, too, even if he didn't want to play anymore.
But Ed didn't move, and Pride blinked, stepping closer. The alchemist's breathing was ragged, almost forced, and there was sweat on his cheeks and forehead. That... didn't happen when he and Envy played. So he tried saying "Ed," but nothing happened.
He sat down in the grass, turning Ed over and resting his head in his lap, brushing the stray hair that had loosened from his pony tail away from his face.
"Ed," he said again, but the only answer that came were wheezing breaths and a limp body in his lap.
* * *
Roy returned home earlier than usual, having actually finished his paperwork- a miracle, by Hawkeye's standards, no doubt. He opened the door, hanging up his great coat and jacket, and called, "Ed."
When he wasn't answered, he meandered his way to the library door, expecting to see the alchemist deep in thought or deep asleep, either way with his nose in a book. However, when all he saw was an empty study, he continued his search, halting and backtracking when he noticed the kitchen door open.
He rolled his eyes. "Look, I know it's nice and everything but there are bugs that-"
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ed laying in the grass, face taut with pain where it lay in Pride's lap. The homunculus looked up at him.
"Roy. Ed."
That tore it, and Roy was at the fallen blonde's side in a moment, looking him over. Ed's breathing was bad, and when Roy touched his side, he flinched. Carefully, the colonel peeled his shirt back to reveal a dark, angry purple bruise, nearly the size of a dinner plate.
He cursed under his breath, and though his trust in the homunculus was now depleted past even his initial refusal to allow him to stay, he had no choice but to leave Ed there and call the headquarters hospital to get them to send their MTs.
That done, Roy went back out, glove at the ready and barked at Pride. "Get up!"
He did so without a word, carefully resting Ed's head in the grass. Roy resisted the urge to snap and snap and snap and burn the homunculus to no more than ash. "Get inside and hide," he hissed, and Pride did his bidding, sitting at the edge of the couch and flickering into invisibility, just as Ed had made him promise to do, to 'hide.'
Silence reigned in the house until the medics arrived, and then it was a blur of activity, and they had gathered Edward up and strapped him to a board which they carried to their ambulance. Roy thanked them stiffly, assuring them he'd be there soon, and shut the door behind the last one.
His voice was first to break the tense silence, a command in the homunculus' name. "Pride."
A flicker, and he was there once more, sitting in his place on the edge of the couch, and he turned to look at Roy.
The man's narrowed gaze met the homunculus', and the pyrotex on his gloves grated together.
"Now I realize my mistake," Roy began, low and threatening, and his voice was made of ice. "I never should have agreed to this. You act innocent, but you're just like all the others. Take advantage of any situation to get what you want. I should send you back to where you belong."
He raised his hand, fingers poised to snap even though he knew he couldn't do it, because suddenly that was Ed staring back at him, and there was no way he could ever hurt-
Roy's gloved hand dropped to his side.
"Fucking monster. You could have killed him." The words clattered to the floor like steel, and Pride's chest twisted painfully.
Killed?
Ed could-
"Killed," he whispered, and suddenly his eyes hurt, too, and they stung as salty, warm trails of tears trekked down his cheeks. Dying hurt, he knew, because he'd done so much when playing with Envy as the other homunculus had screamed his hatred, broken bones and painted the walls red at Pride's cost.
"Killed," he said again, and the enormity of what he'd done made it hard to breathe, and Ed could- and he was the one to have hurt him so much.
Pride flickered and faded into nothing, and Roy somehow knew he was gone, but only stared at the place the homunculus had once been before he turned, snatching his coat from its hanger and rushing his way to the hospital room where Ed lay, broken.
To Be Continued...
Author: automailvariant
Pairing: Roy/Ed/Pride
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Rating: R (Language, Violence)
Occasionally, Ed would stand from his place at the desk in Roy's library, leaving his book open with a slip of paper as a marker just in case, and stretch, his automail creaking slightly with the pressure and his unmoved bones popping back into a comfortable arrangement.
Sometimes during his breaks, he'd call Al- in Resembool with the Rockbells- just to hear his human voice, and pace back and forth, twirling the phone cord around metal digits as they debated Ed's newest theory, or Al described the new alchemy-made automail parts he and Winry had designed. That took the edge off his research, and after a long goodbye, he'd sit back down to study.
Other times, he'd speak with Pride, or teach the homunculus games like rock, paper, scissors, or read to him, to get his mind away from the boring, drawl subjects of his own books. Even after the first few weeks, Roy still didn't like him spending time with his semi-mortal counterpart, but Edward just stuck out his tongue, because Roy had to go to work sometime, and Pride became just as bored as Ed did without anything to do.
One particular weekday, early in the afternoon, Edward went through his stretching routine and determined the day nice enough to train outside, so his mismatched steps took him from the library into the hall, then the living room, where Pride sat on the couch, a book open on his lap, looking at the diagrams within.
Ed smiled; he recognized the book. It was simple, easy to follow alchemy, much like the one he and Al had first used to gain knowledge of their basic arrays. Of course, he knew that Pride couldn't do alchemy- he'd tried getting the homunculus to use the most simple of arrays and explained it to him, just in case, but to no avail.
"Hey," he said, looking over Pride's shoulder. "What'cha readin'?"
The homunculus' entire form flickered- Ed had surprised him- and he looked up, then back down at the words spread across his lap. "Pictures."
"Uh-huh. You wanna put that down for a while? We can go outside. It's a nice day."
He considered, obviously torn. "Roy said 'no outside.'"
That much was true. The colonel didn't like Pride going outside; he'd attract too much attention, especially if he was spotted with Ed. It wasn't every day there was another Fullmetal Alchemist running around. Ed, though, just snorted. "Yeah, well, Mr. Worrywart isn't here. Besides, we're just going into the back yard."
"Back yard," the blonde copy parroted. That was still outside, wasn't it?
"Yeah. Come on. It'll only be a few minutes." Ed took Pride's hand, standing him up and leading him to the back door through the kitchen, out onto the small, covered porch, then down into the grass and sun.
It felt warm against his skin, and Pride tilted his head up, closing his eyes and actually enjoying something he only rarely even got to see. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully, and Ed released his hand, walking a few steps, then starting at a jog around the small yard. Pride watched him, then copied his movements, and soon they were jogging side by side, circling the perimeter of the grass and skirting the small corner garden that Roy liked to keep.
Ed slowed, then stopped after five laps, barely out of breath, and considered his double for a moment.
"Huh. Hey, Pride. Lemme show you something. Do like me, only opposite, okay?"
He raised his flesh arm, balling his fist and holding it slightly out from his forehead in an upper block. Pride did as he was told, his right arm mimicking Ed's left.
"Good. Now here," Ed directed, switching arms, to which Pride immediately responded. They repeated the process with an outside block, a low block and an inside block, Edward taking the lead and Pride following with the opposite immediately.
The homunculus had perfect form, Ed noted as he stood straight once more- Pride did the same, bringing his hands to his sides.
"You know how to spar?" Ed asked, and Pride watched him before responding with a question of his own.
"Spar?"
"Yeah, you know, practice fighting? Punches and kicks and stuff?"
Oh. That. Punching and kicking he knew. Playing. He and Envy would do that all the time, even if the other sin didn't like him to play back.
"Playing."
"Uh.. yeah, I guess you could call it that," Ed offered. "Since no one gets hurt. You know how to play?"
"Yes," Pride responded, nodding.
"Alright, then." Ed's weight shifted, and he sunk into a stance, watching as Pride did the same. "Don't copy me," he warned, and rushed forward, ducking low to deliver the first blow.
The homunculus saw it and immediately dodged, giving Ed a wide berth and turning to watch as he moved again, using his momentum to swipe low at Pride's feet. Again, another easy dodge, and the other blonde flipped in midair, landing on his feet a few yards away.
"Hey, come on!" Ed called, flexing his flesh hand. "You gotta try and hit me back!"
Pride didn't have time to argue, forced into movement by the other blonde's charge. He blocked the punch and followed directions, ducking low to bring his fist in an uppercut.
That was unexpected, and it scraped Ed's skin as he backed up, gaining his footing once more.
"Yeah," he said, grinning. "Like that."
He feigned right, then dodged left, going low to get at Pride's vulnerable side, but the sin was now going on directions and following his every movement. Ed's hand was caught and twisted, bringing him close enough for a punch to the stomach to connect, driving the air from his lungs.
He wrenched free, backing up and gasping, a feral glint in his eye as he watched his counterpart. "Better. Again!"
Another charge, a different angle, but Pride saw through it, bringing his arm up to shove into Ed's chest and stop him, then using a swift motion to the back of the blonde's leg to send him to his knees, and delivering a roundhouse kick to his side.
The homunculus heard a crack, and Ed's eyes went wide, then closed as he slumped forward into the grass. And Pride watched, because Envy always got up after that combination, and Pride was forced up, too, even if he didn't want to play anymore.
But Ed didn't move, and Pride blinked, stepping closer. The alchemist's breathing was ragged, almost forced, and there was sweat on his cheeks and forehead. That... didn't happen when he and Envy played. So he tried saying "Ed," but nothing happened.
He sat down in the grass, turning Ed over and resting his head in his lap, brushing the stray hair that had loosened from his pony tail away from his face.
"Ed," he said again, but the only answer that came were wheezing breaths and a limp body in his lap.
* * *
Roy returned home earlier than usual, having actually finished his paperwork- a miracle, by Hawkeye's standards, no doubt. He opened the door, hanging up his great coat and jacket, and called, "Ed."
When he wasn't answered, he meandered his way to the library door, expecting to see the alchemist deep in thought or deep asleep, either way with his nose in a book. However, when all he saw was an empty study, he continued his search, halting and backtracking when he noticed the kitchen door open.
He rolled his eyes. "Look, I know it's nice and everything but there are bugs that-"
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ed laying in the grass, face taut with pain where it lay in Pride's lap. The homunculus looked up at him.
"Roy. Ed."
That tore it, and Roy was at the fallen blonde's side in a moment, looking him over. Ed's breathing was bad, and when Roy touched his side, he flinched. Carefully, the colonel peeled his shirt back to reveal a dark, angry purple bruise, nearly the size of a dinner plate.
He cursed under his breath, and though his trust in the homunculus was now depleted past even his initial refusal to allow him to stay, he had no choice but to leave Ed there and call the headquarters hospital to get them to send their MTs.
That done, Roy went back out, glove at the ready and barked at Pride. "Get up!"
He did so without a word, carefully resting Ed's head in the grass. Roy resisted the urge to snap and snap and snap and burn the homunculus to no more than ash. "Get inside and hide," he hissed, and Pride did his bidding, sitting at the edge of the couch and flickering into invisibility, just as Ed had made him promise to do, to 'hide.'
Silence reigned in the house until the medics arrived, and then it was a blur of activity, and they had gathered Edward up and strapped him to a board which they carried to their ambulance. Roy thanked them stiffly, assuring them he'd be there soon, and shut the door behind the last one.
His voice was first to break the tense silence, a command in the homunculus' name. "Pride."
A flicker, and he was there once more, sitting in his place on the edge of the couch, and he turned to look at Roy.
The man's narrowed gaze met the homunculus', and the pyrotex on his gloves grated together.
"Now I realize my mistake," Roy began, low and threatening, and his voice was made of ice. "I never should have agreed to this. You act innocent, but you're just like all the others. Take advantage of any situation to get what you want. I should send you back to where you belong."
He raised his hand, fingers poised to snap even though he knew he couldn't do it, because suddenly that was Ed staring back at him, and there was no way he could ever hurt-
Roy's gloved hand dropped to his side.
"Fucking monster. You could have killed him." The words clattered to the floor like steel, and Pride's chest twisted painfully.
Killed?
Ed could-
"Killed," he whispered, and suddenly his eyes hurt, too, and they stung as salty, warm trails of tears trekked down his cheeks. Dying hurt, he knew, because he'd done so much when playing with Envy as the other homunculus had screamed his hatred, broken bones and painted the walls red at Pride's cost.
"Killed," he said again, and the enormity of what he'd done made it hard to breathe, and Ed could- and he was the one to have hurt him so much.
Pride flickered and faded into nothing, and Roy somehow knew he was gone, but only stared at the place the homunculus had once been before he turned, snatching his coat from its hanger and rushing his way to the hospital room where Ed lay, broken.
To Be Continued...