Chapter Text
There was something they weren’t telling him. It wasn’t inconsequential, either, like the Colonel not telling him about an upcoming meeting or Al conveniently forgetting to tell him about the thirteenth kitten in his armour.
No, this was something distinctly different. Every person he interacted with- which, for the record, was an abnormal amount in this span of time- had been walking on eggshells around him, asking him how he was, how he felt, if he needed anything.
If he remembered anything.
He vaguely recalled getting knocked out by some asshole in a nowhere town out west, but from then on, his mind came up blank. He tried and tried to recall what terrible travesty could’ve occurred in that town that caused even Winry to pay him an unexpected visit, but he just- couldn’t. There wasn’t a single thing in that genius mind of his aside from waking up in the hospital to the uncomfortably scratchy sheets and familiar steady beep of a heart monitor. By his approximation, he’d been in the hospital for about a day and a half now, having had almost every single one of his friends- and acquaintances- visit him this time around. They all looked at him with some sort of pity in their eyes, but when he asked, they all shrugged and said something along the lines of “must’ve been a pretty bad fight”.
So, something was up. Edward has lost fights before, he’s wound up in the hospital more than once, but this was different in a way he couldn’t describe.
“Edward? Are you even paying attention?”
Ed blinked, shaking his head to rid himself of the fog that had settled in the forefront of his mind, clouding any sense or ability to listen. He looked beside him and stared for a moment, furrowing his brows again when the Colonel sighed.
“What’s the last thing I just said?” He asked in an almost tired way, but his eyes betrayed the concern beneath his facade of annoyance.
“I- I dunno.” Ed said, suddenly feeling very exhausted, as if the mere idea of getting any more words put into his brain were some impossible task.
“Okay, I’ll put it simpler, then.” Roy said, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. “You and Alphonse are going to come over and stay in my apartment for a little while. I called your teacher, and she’ll be here in a few day’s time to talk to you. Make sense?” He questioned, cocking his head when Ed, in his newly exhausted state, simply nodded.
“Yeah, I gues- wait, stay at your apartment?! Since when-”
“Since now, Fullmetal.” Roy cut off, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m going to go sign your discharge paperwork once Alphonse gets back, and then we’ll get you situated. Does that sound okay?” He finished, his tone taking a softer edge to it by the end.
Another red flag Ed had noticed was that everyone kept asking if he was “okay” or “alright” with actions being taken. “Edward, are you alright if I touch your shoulder?” or “is it okay if I come in, Ed?” were some of the most notable occurrences he’d remembered. It wasn’t just the Colonel who’d taken to doing that, either, but he’d noticed Al doing it subtly as well, along with the Lieutenant and Hughes, too. And since he’d woken up, he hadn’t once been left alone in the room, even when a doctor was present to check on his “progress”. Usually, it’d be Al staying in the room, which he didn’t mind, but sometimes it’d be one of the other male members of the team, who’d simply shrug when asked about why they couldn’t step out. Something about safety, they’d said. What he really wanted to know was what everyone was hiding from him, and why nobody would tell him anything. It was not only frustrating, but, though he’d never admit it aloud, terrifying, in a way.
The telltale clank of armour pulled him from his thoughts again, and his face dropped its pinched expression the moment he saw Al enter the room with a tray of food.
“Oh, thank god, Al. I was getting worried I’d have to sit in the room with this bastard forever!” Ed laughed, reaching out to take the tray from Al, who just shook his head as the Colonel stood up. “Brother, don’t be rude.” He chided gently, but Roy simply patted Alphonse’s armoured shoulder as he walked away with a chuckle. The door swished open and closed quietly as Ed inspected the food Al had brought for him, seemingly satisfied as he took his first bite of the sandwich in the middle of the tray.
It didn’t escape him that there was no milk this time, despite Al’s insistence on drinking it, particularly after a bad fight, citing his need for ‘strong bones’. Al sat in silence for a moment before speaking up, the tinny echo of his voice sounding impossibly small.
“Did the Colonel tell you about our plan?”
Ed shrugged, stuffing more of the sandwich, which was surprisingly good, into his face. “Yeah, he did. Why’d he do that, anyway?” He said through a mouthful of food.
Al shifted uncomfortably before speaking. “Do you really not remember a thing?” He asked sincerely.
Ed shook his head, putting his food down for a second and swallowing before turning to face Al fully.
“No. I don’t know why everyone keeps asking me that, but-”
“It doesn’t matter, brother. We’re all just… we’re glad you’re alright.”
Ed blinked blankly at his brother before shrugging again. “When have I not been, right?”
The door swished open once again, Roy entering slowly, lifting a piece of paper and waving it around above him with a slight smirk on his face, the bone-deep tiredness he felt being well hidden.
“All good to go, Ed. Finish eating then let’s get you outta here.” He said, leaning up against the wall and crossing his arms again before turning to Al. “You got all your stuff, Alphonse?” He inquired, looking up slightly to meet Al’s eyes, who nodded. “Yes, I do, thank you, Colonel.”
Ed shoved the corner of his sandwich into his mouth, giving a thumbs up as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, realizing belatedly his automail had been taken off, replaced with the clunky spare prosthetic that Winry kept on hand. He opened his mouth to ask before Roy spoke up, cutting him off.
“Got destroyed in the… fight. That mechanic of yours has been working overtime to get you fitted with a new one.” He sighed again. “Look, she told me it isn’t comfortable to walk on those, so if you need help-”
Ed waved him off with a frown. “I’m fine, idiot. I had to get used to walking on these before my surgery, anyway.”
Roy nodded solemnly, but didn’t hide the fact that he took a step or two closer to Ed as he got up and got his bearings before beginning to walk out of the room, Al trailing close behind the two.
“So, why’d you decide to let us crash at your place?” Ed questioned with a faux sense of casualty to his words. He wanted answers, and Roy knew that.
“Safety.” He cited once again, ignoring the unspoken question that hung thickly in the air: “what happened?”.
The trio walked out into the parking lot silently after that, and when they arrived at Roy’s car, the man shot Ed a sidelong glance before speaking. “Do you wanna sit up front or in the back with Al?”
Now, perhaps Ed was overreacting, but he could swear that he was being given agency here. Almost too much agency. The Colonel would never offer the front seat to him before, so why now?
Despite his internal turmoil about the situation, he shrugged, hopping into the front seat and closing the door behind him, turning around to smile at Al, who’d climbed into the backseat himself.
“Do up your seatbelt, I’m not getting in trouble for letting a kid fly out my windshield.” Roy said, only half joking as he gestured to Ed’s seatbelt, who then begrudgingly clicked it into place before they pulled out of the hospital parking lot, quietly rolling onto the road.
The drive was mostly silent, save for the Colonel and Al occasionally exchanging a few words here and there. He didn’t once poke fun at Ed, which, in his opinion, was one of the strangest things about the past few days. Everyone had been so gentle with him, it was almost starting to piss him off. He pushed that thought down, though, as he watched the buildings pass by, cars whizzing by them as they drove through Central. Eventually, when their conversation had died down, Roy reached for the radio, asking once again the infuriating question of: “you okay with some music?”
Ed scoffed, resting his head on his hand and facing away from the radio, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I don’t care.”
Roy nodded, turning the knob of the radio slightly so that the steady hum of some jazz station began to fill the silence. It wouldn't be a long drive by any means, but something felt oddly tense, something that Ed, infuriatingly, couldn’t decipher.
“Hey, Mustang. You said Teacher was coming… why?” He finally inquired, looking away from the window and in Roy’s direction.
“We’ll talk about it when we get back to my place.” He said coolly, not taking his eyes off the road.
“Why? Unless there’s something crazy, you-”
“I said we’ll talk about it when we get back, Ed.” Roy said, shoulders subtly tensing as his knuckles became tighter on the steering wheel.
“He’s right, Brother.” Al interjected, nodding from the backseat. “It’ll be more comfortable.”
“More comfortable for what?” Ed questioned, a bit of annoyance seeping into his statement. “You guys have been tiptoeing around for the last day and a half, and I think I deserve to know why!” He huffed.
“I’ll explain everything when we’re back, alright? I’ll tell you everything I know.” The Colonel placated, now turning to look at Ed momentarily, a sort of pleading look on his face.
Ed glared at him for a moment before nodding. “Fine.”