Work Text:
Timeline: Chapter 48/Episode 23
Theme 16: From now on, too
Roy turned off his car and got out, wincing slightly as the muscles in his abdomen pulled beneath the bandage. He surveyed the abandoned, rickety cottage at the edge of the forest and was satisfied to see that no light shone from the windows. He recognized the shape of the convertible Hawkeye had commandeered earlier, now hidden behind a corner of the building, so he knew they were all here.
He turned his mind to the plans they had made as he approached the seemingly-empty cottage. The Homunculus was in there now, immobilized and waiting for interrogation, for its Philosopher's Stone to be used. Maybe now Havoc-
“Hey, Mustang,” Edward suddenly spoke up behind him. “Can I have a word with you in private?”
Roy turned in surprise, but Edward's face was in shadow and he couldn't make out his expression. “Of course,” he said after a moment, recovering himself. “We can talk in one of these front rooms; Hawkeye and the others are in the back. Your patient will be back there,” he added to Dr. Knox, who was standing reluctantly by the car.
The old coroner merely grunted and slouched through the rickety front door.
“I'll stay out here and make sure nobody followed us,” Alphonse announced, leaving Roy to hold open the door for Edward.
They made their way into a dark, empty room, and Roy waited expectantly for his companion to speak. But Edward only strode over to the window which was largely intact, and gazed at the lights of the city. “What's this all about, Full Metal?”
The silhouette of Edward's shoulders slumped slightly. When the boy spoke, it was in a soft, nervous voice. “You hate me, don't you?”
Roy paused a moment, wondering if he'd heard right. “Why do you say that?” he asked slowly.
“Because I'm the one who killed Hughes.”
For one wild, blind moment, the entire world turned on its head and tumbled Roy about like a ball. “What do you mean?” He was surprised at how even his voice was.
Edward turned to face him, and now Roy could see a little of his anguished expression. “Hughes was killed because he found out something too dangerous. Something me n' Al started to uncover. If...If it hadn't been for us...then he would have....”
Roy's pounding heart settled down, and he chided himself for that momentary belief that Edward was even capable of cold-blooded murder like that. “How could you think I would hate you for that?”
Edward frowned and turned away, becoming a mere silhouette again. “Well...I know you've never really liked me. And I...I threw this all in your face about Maria Ross and everything, even though it was all my fault. So I figure...you'll continue with the whole friendly banter thing, but you'll hate me from now on, too.”
Edward Elric's ability to find himself at fault was legendary. Roy let out a sigh and ran a hand over his face. “I don't blame you for it, Edward. If I'd known you'd take it this hard, I would have cleared that up sooner.” He fell silent, but Edward just stood picking at the ancient, peeling wallpaper.
As Roy thought of what else he could say, as he thought of his best friend who had been dead for months now, a painful lump grew in his throat. After swallowing hard and taking several deep breaths, he was able to control his voice enough to say, “Hughes...was always going to die for his friends. That was just the sort of person he was. He lived...and died...for the people he loved.” His throat tightened again, and he cursed himself for letting his emotion get the best of him.
“I'm sorry,” Edward murmured, hanging his head. “He was your best friend, wasn't he?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry.”
Roy cleared his throat irritably. “Stop that. The last thing Hughes would want is for you to blame yourself. Or for me to blame you. The only one at fault is the monster who fired that shot. And with this Homunculus in our grasp, we have a chance to capture that person. So come on.” He headed towards the door. “Let's go join the others.”
As they strode towards the single lighted room at the back, Roy glanced back at Edward trailing behind and saw the boy swipe his hand across his eyes. He thought at first that Edward was crying, but when his hand dropped back down, all he could see was relief.