“The Stubborn Child”
Edward Elric glared across the desk, his eyes burning holes into the person on the opposite side. “Why?”
“Just sit down, or else I’ll have you court-martialed.”
Roy Mustang liked to play dirty, and sometimes, all Ed wanted to do was wash his hands. But with Al still a walking suit of armor, the boy had no choice but still stomp through the mud.
Falling to the couch, Ed rolled his eyes. “Do you want me to roll over and play dead, too?”
The word dead seemed to unnerve Mustang, Ed noticed, for the colonel shifted in his chair and stared down at the report in his hands. He didn’t know why Mustang sat even more rigid than usual, more like he had something stuck up his ass rather than just his military stance. Edward shuddered, wondering what could cause the man whose could blow up anything to be startled. Blinking, Ed quickly changed the subject. It just wigged him out.
“What do you want now? I even wrote the report on time, delivered it in person instead of sending Al, and suffered through the bow. I’ve been more than a loyal dog.”
“I’ll
consider giving you a treat.”
Ed shrugged. “I left him trying to save a stray cat from Black Hayate. Why? What’s it to you?”
Mustang nodded, processing the information, then stood swiftly. Turning his back toward to Edward, he glared out the window. He sighed, but his words cut crisp and deep into Ed. “I’m taking you off active duty.”
“WHAT?” Ed jumped to his feet and slammed his hands flat on the colonel’s desk. Mustang couldn’t! “What the fuck are you—”
“Is that a way to speak to your commander officer?” Mustang urged coolly, his voice never raising.
“You can’t do that!” Edward protested. “I still haven’t restored my little brother yet, and in case you’ve forgotten, the Fuhrer demanded I stay as a State Alchemist!”
“The Fuhrer will agree to this. You are, after all, better in tact than in pieces, especially to the homunculi.”
Edward growled even louder than before, knowing Mustang was right. He hated it when Mustang was right, sometimes even more than he did his height. “But why now!”
When Mustang refused to turn or even answer, Ed waited impatiently, his fuse ready to burst into flames, until he no longer could handle his anger. “Why are you doing this? You recruited me at the age of eleven. You told me to become a State Alchemist, and now you tell me not be one! Colonel—”
“Hughes never told me you were in the hospital,” Mustang interjected, still not turning from the window. “He never told me about Lab Five or what happened there. Major Armstrong finally informed me of your situation. Why didn’t you write that in your report, Fullmetal?”
The stoic question startled Ed, who actually answered truthfully. “The Fuhrer told us not to tell anyone.”
“I’m your superior.”
“And you know if I have an order from a higher-ranking officer, then I must obey it, Colonel. I’m a dog of the military, not your personal lap one.”
Mustang sighed, and his stringent stance slowly softened. “The point is moot, now, isn’t it? If the Fuhrer were to tell you to keep something from me—”
“Is that what this about?” Edward scoffed. He knew Mustang was a man of pride, but to be upset enough not to allow him to continue his journey was ridiculous. “I thought you of all people—”
“You are no longer perusing what you originally intended.”
“I’m still after the Philosopher’s Stone. That has not and will not change until Al is back in his body.”
“Now you are battling homunculi, who wish to use you as a human sacrifice. I cannot allow that to occur.”
That came out of nowhere and derailed any argument Edward had. “W—What?”
Mustang never turned, and his voice never wavered. “That night when Al was torn apart again, Lust was ready to kill him, despite the fact that he’s a confirmed human sacrifice. If you fight them, Edward, they will eventually destroy you and your brother, and find another to do their bidding. I won’t allow that to occur.”
“This is our choice to fight them,” Ed replied sharply. “We wanted to do this.”
“But I put you in this position, and I won’t lose another solider.”
Hughes. Mustang didn’t want another Hughes. It suddenly occurred to Ed just what Mustang must have thought of him. He didn’t analyze too much. Though an alchemist always sought the truth, admittedly Edward didn’t want it. He didn’t want to know just how Mustang saw him, afraid he might agree with the man.
Instead, he straightened his back and balled his fists. Coming to attention, the alchemist glared into Mustang’s back. “Colonel, if I am not on active duty, then Al and I will be forced to peruse our goal while inactive. We will not stop until we restore our bodies, and we’ll do it with or without your help.”
Ed reached
inside his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch. He stared at for a few
minutes, wondering why it was so hard to put it down. It wasn’t that he loved
being part of the military, but being attached to Mustang, Hawkeye, Armstrong,
and to a lesser extent, Fury, Havoc, and the others…Don’t analyze, he scolded himself. Just put it down and walk away.
Which he did.
“Fullmetal.”
His hand on the door handle, Edward bristled and turned. Why didn’t Mustang look at him?
“Take the watch back. If you’re going to be a stubborn child and go against my orders, the least I can do is take responsibility for your actions and help you.”
Edward scoffed. “Al and I started on this journey long before you offered me a job.”
“Perhaps, but I showed you the path and gave you the resources,” Mustang upheld, his voice grating. “Now, take your watch and get the hell out of here. Find your bodies, then ake your brother and girlfriend—”
“She’s not my girlfriend!”
“—and run.”
Ed collected his watch, but before he left, the alchemist raised his eyes again. Mustang still stared out the window, causing Ed to just shake his head. “Sir?”
“You’re dismissed.”
Ed bowed and turned swiftly, holding the door open just long enough for Lt. Hawkeye to slip through. She smiled sweetly at him, then shut the door behind her and came up to the desk. “Sir, I noticed Edward left with his watch. I see he is still active.”
Mustang didn’t even turn to her and only uttered, “I hate when it rains.”
Hawkeye didn’t need to look outside to know the sun was shining.