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It had been exactly 32 minutes and 47 seconds since Ed walked into the office.
Upon his arrival he thrust the doors open to the Colonel's office, saw that Roy wasn’t in the room and a smug grin spread across his face. Immediately he got his pocket watch and started a timer then plopped himself on the couch waiting for his golden moment.
But that was 32 minutes ago. He was bored now. Maybe the bastard forgot? Oh he hoped so. Roy was always on his ass for being late and forgetful. And the one time Ed’s here on time to give his report, Roy is nowhere to be found.
“ I can't wait to rub this in that bastard's face “ Ed thinks with a chuckle. He was just about to give up when the door creaked open quietly. Ed looked down at his watch, 58 minutes and 23 seconds. He smiled to himself, pleased. Roy walks into the room, eyes trained on the floor. His hat is slightly skewed and his arm laced around his waist. Documents were rolled and crumpled in his other fist, squeezed tight. He walks straight to his desk ignoring Ed completely, and grabs the side, steadying himself, swaying slightly.
“ Mustang? “ Ed asks, slightly worried. Sure the man loves to pretend Ed doesn't exist, but not like this, it always had to be a loud scene. But right now? He was too quiet. Roy looks up, startled, and looks around the room until his eyes land on Ed.
“ Oh Fullmetal, sorry I didn't hear you come in. Did you need something? “ Roy asks, slowly continuing his journey to his desk chair. He lowers himself steadily, arms slightly shaking with effort. At this angle Ed can see a small trail of blood running down from under the man's hat, and behind his ear.
“ I've been here for the past hour… “ Ed deadpans.
“ Oh, have you? And why is that? “ Roy responds with a sigh, his hand still full of papers resting up against his head, elbow on the desk.
“ My report. Which you are late for by the way. My how the mighty have fallen coronel, a whole 58 minutes late! What would Hawkeye think, “ Ed laughs haughtily. His mocking is interrupted by the thud of Roy's head hitting the desk, his arm now limp on the table, loose papers rolling away from his hand.
“ H-hey, what's that all about? Am I really that boring? “ Ed stammers. He walks over to Roy kicking his leg to get his attention.
“ Get up bastard, what are you trying to pull huh? “ He demands, shaking his shoulders with more force. Roys hat then falls off, revealing a mess of matted, bloody hair. Ed gasps at the sight, shaking him again in hopes to rouse him. He steps back, taking in the reality of his failed attempts. His eyes drift over to the radio. Help. He needs to get help. His hands, now shaking, “ why are they shaking? “ he thinks, grabs the radio.
“ Um - anyone. Uh I need help, now. The colonel- hes. Mustang is bleeding and he's not responding and I don't know what to do… “ He trails off, letting the call button go.
Immediately a response crackles over the radio, “ I'm on my way Ed, don't worry. “ It was a woman's voice so he's sure it was Hawkeye.
Within seconds she bursts into the room, slightly out of breath. Her eyes train onto him and her superior and she rushes over. Hughes enters the room shortly after, “ What the hell happened? “ He asks, looking to Ed.
“ I don't know, he just came in here like that. I- I was waiting for him cause he was late but- I didn't think, I didn't think that this would… “ he trails off. Hughes rips his worried gaze away from Roy, and walks up to Ed, embracing him with a hug and rubbing his head.
“ It's okay, he will be fine, “ He promises. By now Riza has lowered Roy to the ground, peeled his bloody hand off his side to reveal a large wound. She has taken off his blood covered gloves and set those aside, along with his hat. She's kneeling over him, pressing her hands into the wound in an attempt to stop the blood. She hasn't spoken once, beads of sweat trickle down her forehead, eyes locked on Roy's face as she focuses on keeping him alive.
Finally the medics arrive, and Ed watches in shock, still in Hughes arms, as they adjust Roy onto a stretcher, check his pulse, press gause into his wounds, and ultimately take him away. Hughes and Riza share a knowing look and begin to follow out the door. Ed lets himself be ushered along, not really present. He is shaken out of his stupor when he hears his brother call his name. He takes in his surroundings. White walls with blue accents, blue plastic chairs and a receptionist desk. When did he get to the hospital? How long had they been there? To his left was Hughes, filling out paperwork on a clipboard.
“ Ed! “ Al cried once more, now in his field of vision. “ Ed, are you okay? I heard the Colonel was hurt! You're not hurt too are you? “
“ No- “ he croaks. His throat oddly dry. “ No, I'm fine. “
“ That's a relief, “ Al slumps.
“ How long?- “ Ed asks, turning to Hughes.
“ Only about 30 minutes Kiddo. I know it's all a shock. He's in surgery right now, we still don't know what happened, “ he responds. Flipping the top pages on the clipboard over, and resting it flat against his legs.
“ Where's Hawkeye? “ he asks, looking around the room. “ She had some things to take care of. Don't worry. It's not the first time the Colonel has pulled a stunt like this and it most likely won't be the last. He's tough. He will be fine, “ Hughes reassures, placing his arm around Ed's neck and rubbing the tightness out of his shoulder.
“ He will be fine. He will be fine. He will be fine, “ that runs through Ed’s head, over and over, for who knows how long.
Until finally, a doctor walks out into the waiting room, “ Family of Mr. Mustang? “ he calls out. Ed shoots up, followed calmly by Hughes and Al, who walk over to the man. “ First off, good news. His surgery went great and we were able to get the bleeding to stop and all his injuries stitched up, “ the man smiles.
Ed sighs with relief. “ He's alive. “
“ And the bad news? “ Hughes asks.
“ There was significant swelling in his brain, he has a severe concussion and a possibility of brain damage. There's no telling when he will wake up, if he will wake up, and how he's going to be. He's out of the woods for now, but only time can tell the rest I'm afraid. “ The doctor says solemnly.
“ Can we see him? “ Ed asks softly.
“ Of course, “ the man nods, and motions for them to follow him down the hallway. Ed hesitates before entering the room, still hoping for this to be some kind of sick joke. But when he sees Roy he knows it's not. But it's wrong. The colonel isn't supposed to be in a hospital bed, connected to tubes and monitors, all pale and silent. He's supposed to be irritated and loud. Always on Ed about something or complaining about something else. He's not supposed to be this quiet, this still. Ed doesn't know how long he was standing and staring, but he feels himself being pushed down into a chair.
“ Are you sure he's okay? He's acting weird? “ he hears Al ask.
“ He's fine, I think he just got scared. It can be a little unnerving seeing someone just collapse in front of you, with no reason as to why, “ Hughes responds, unfolding a blanket and laying it out on Ed.
“ It is weird, seeing the colonel like this, “ Al inputs.
“ I know, but he will be alright. He's been through worse, a little head wound isn't going to slow him down. He's too stubborn, “ Hughes reassures, patting Al on his arm. “ Anyways, you'll take care of your brother right? I'm sure he's not going to go anywhere for a while, just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid okay? “
“ Of course, but where are you going? “ Al asks.
“ I just need to help Lt. Hawkeye tidy up a few things, I doubt he will be awake for a while so we're good. I'll be back soon, call if you need anything okay? “ Hughes says with a smile, walking out the door. Through the windows Al sees his hand grip tightly around the gun at his thigh. Ed slowly nods off, and his head lulls to the side.
“ Oh brother… '' Al sighs, moving a chair out of the way so he can sit next to him, letting his head rest against his shoulder. The next time Ed wakes up his muscles are stiff and cramped. He stretches and yawns, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. His gaze lands on Roy, who is still unconscious on the hospital bed. The nightstand next to him is no longer bare, but now has a flower vase, a get well soon card, and his gloves, which are a pristine white rather than covered in blood. He looks out of the room through the window to see Al leaning against the closed door, talking to Riza and Maes. She's sporting a bruise under her left eye and Hughes’s arm is wrapped tightly with bandages. Hawkeye makes eye contact with Ed, then nods to Al, motioning for him to move out of the way.
“ Hey sleeping beauty, “ she teases as they file into the room.
“ Any updates? “ Ed asks.
She shakes her head. “ We don't know anything until he wakes up. “
“ What happened to you? “ he motions towards Hughes’s arm.
“ Oh this? “ he laughs. “ Nothing to worry about Kiddo. We were just cleaning up a few loose ends. “
“ Did you find who did it? “ Ed wonders.
“ Yes. “ Riza responds tightly.
“ Are they… alive? “ he dares to ask.
“ Depends on how the next few days go, “ She smiles at him.
“ They were just telling me what they found out, Ed, “ Al says. “ Apparently the Colonel was out on a recon mission and got caught up with some bad guys. Those documents that he had with him when he walked back into his office were details about a Philosopher's Stone! It looks like the Colonel had stolen some information from them and that's how he got hurt“
A Philosopher's Stone? Ed’s eyes widened. That means it was his fault. The bastard only got involved because Ed would have wanted that information. If he wasn't so hell bent on helping the two boys he would have just left it alone. He wouldn't have gotten hurt.
“ Hey, “ Riza snapped, getting Ed out of his head. “ It's not your fault. You didn't shoot him. You didn't ask him to go and steal those papers for you. He did all of that out of his own stubbornness and even you can't argue against that, “ she says, seemingly reading his mind.
“ But- “ Ed starts. “ No buts, “ she cuts him off. “ Now don't be stubborn and go get something to eat. Take a walk. Cool off for a bit. He's not going anywhere okay? “
“ Okay. “ Ed complies, standing up from his chair. “ Could I- could I see those papers? I mean he went through all that trouble to get them, I may as well take a look, “ he asks sheepishly. She smiles slightly and nods, pulling the papers out of her bag and hands them out to him. He takes them with a thank you and he and Al exit the room. When he closes the door he looks into the room through the blinds. Riza has slumped down against the wall, her head in her hands and Hughes is running his fingers through Roys hair. Ed looks away and trudges on after Al.
Four days later, Ed still hasn't returned to the hospital. He can't. He has to make that information mean something. It has to. So he's buried himself in books, only eating when Al brings him food, only sleeping when he passes out on the floor. During such an episode, Ed is curled up in a corner, his head propped up against the wall, mouth open slightly as he quietly snores. He feels a tapping on his shoulder, which rouses him slightly.
“ Mr. Elric there's a call on the line for you, “ he hears a soft voice say. That wakes him up. He follows the woman to the front desk where she hands him the phone, then walks away once more. He holds it up to his ear, hand shaking.
“ Hello? “ he says with uncertainty.
“ He's awake, “ the other end says. And that's all he needs to hear. He slams the phone back into place and rushes out of the building, running all the way to the hospital entrance. He stops outside, mostly to catch his breath.
“ What if he doesn't even want to see me? “ he wonders. Ed takes the long way to his room, shaking himself free from his doubts.
“ If he's happy to see me then I know he's dying. If he just tells me to piss off then he's fine. “ Ed stops at his door, which is slightly cracked open. He sees Roy in bed, awake, but still hooked up to tubes.
“ You really scared him Roy, “ he hears Hawkeye say from somewhere in the room.
" I don't remember any of that though, “ Roy protests.
“ Doesn't mean it didn't happen, “ she retorts. Ed pushes the door on accident, making it creak open slightly. “ Make it right, “ she says, nudging him in the side, causing him to grunt in pain. She smiles sweetly to Ed as she opens the door and excuses herself from out of the room.
“ You just gonna stand there and stare at me like some little creep? “ Roy rasps from inside the room.
“ Who are you calling little? “ Ed immediately bites back, but there's no harshness in his voice. He walks in the room and sits in the chair furthest away from Mustang. He hears Roy sigh in frustration and slowly make himself sit upright, grunting in pain while doing so.
“ I'm not dead, you know, it takes a lot more than that to kill me,“ Roy says, interrupting the silence. Ed stays silent and takes out his pocket watch to fiddle with, and notices the time on his stop watch is still running.
“ 122 hours, 13 minutes, and 45 seconds, “ Ed responds.
“ What? “ Roy asks, confused.
“ That's how late you are, “ Ed replies, a grin forming on his face.
“ Late for what? “ Roy asks, still feeling very out of the loop.
“ Late for my report, “ Ed says, making eye contact with the man. A big smile across his face. Roys face falls. “ You know, the reports that are sooo important. That I always seem to be late for or simply never show up for but man, i've never been that late! “ Ed laughs.
“ That's not fair, I got held up, “ Roy starts.
“ Oh excuses, excuses Colonel. What's that you always say? ‘ I don't want to hear it. ‘ That's it right? “ Ed says, getting out of the chair.
“ What's your point Fullmetal? “ Roy huffs, irritated.
“ Well, were alchemists right? We live by the laws of equivalent exchange, “ Ed starts.
“ Okay so? “ Roy rolls his eyes.
“ So. You owe me 122 hours, 13 minutes, and 45 seconds, “ Ed says, now at the Colonels bedside. Looking him right in the eyes to challenge the older man.
“ What, you want a few days off? Fine, “ Roy starts.
“ No, that’s how long I get to be late without you getting upset at me, “ Ed smirks.
“ Seriously? How childish are you? You know what, whatever. Do whatever your tiny little heart desires, “ Roy laughs.
“ You can bet on it, “ Ed says, turning to leave the room. He stops in the doorway and turns back around, hesitant. “ Also I'm glad youre not dead or whatever. “
Two weeks later.
Roy sits at his desk looking out the window, a stopwatch in his hand, and an evil grin across his face. The doors to his office open calmly, and in waltzes the Fullmetal Alchemist. Roy clicks the stop button on the watch and looks up to Ed.
“ 122 hours, 17 minutes, and 22 seconds. Your time is up, “ he says simply. Ed stops in his tracks, fear spreading across his face. He turns and sprints out of the office.
“ Get back here you little shrimp! “ Roy yells, chasing after him.
“ You'll never catch me alive, bastard! “ Ed retorts, pushing other military people out his way as he runs, leaving a trail of destruction in his attempt to get away from the Colonel. He makes a wrong turn in his haste, coming to a dead end. He turns around to see Roy skidding into view, walking towards him with a menacing smile. “ Let's talk about this- “ He starts, only for Roy to be tackled out of his view down a hallway. He hears a grunt of surprise come from the man.
“ Now sir, don't you think it's still a bit too early for this much activity? You'll pull your stitches out,” Riza says calmly as she holds him down. She looks at Ed and mouths “ Run “