Gale you are awesome, and I enjoy the angst you make because it shows so many outcomes to little things. I want you to know that my friends and I made a swap au of an old rp we did and that I'm milking it solely for angst. This may be partly your fault. Dunno yet. I don't have a tumblr account so I've been waiting several months to tell you that. Thanks for the great content!
If you have the time, could you write a royai oneshot where a mission for ed and al goes wrong and they find nothing on getting their bodies back and they narrowly avoid getting killed, so ed is angry and blames mustang and says that he'll eventually get his whole team killed and that no one really trusts him and Roy's upset about it so Riza comforts him? By the way, I really love your royai oneshots and your havolina oneshots. I have a guilty pleasure for both royai and havolina
oh my goodness thank you so much for this!!! i love this request akjgfnakefjg i hope you enjoy reading!
i’ve never written anything like this before, so thanks for the new challenge! also, prepare for angst (as per usual with me khgfsd)
“Edward –”
“No!” Edward growled, expression twisting in anger as soonas Roy spoke. “Don’t “Edward” me!” he yelled, his tone mocking as he repeatedback his own name. Roy blinked then frowned at the sudden anger. He couldunderstand why he was angry, but this reaction was bordering on ridiculous.Then again, this was Edward Elric he was talking about. If one was to look up “violentverbal outburst” in the dictionary, Edward’s picture would be there. “You blewthis for us, you bastard. I hope you understand that!”
“Ed –” Roy sighed, tired of this argument already. The wholeride back to Central HQ, Edward had silently fumed in the backseat of the carafter yelling his distaste at Roy’s interference as a serial killer was soclose to killing them. So, sue him, for not wanting the two brothers to die.Was that such a crime? He effectively got them into this mess with themilitary, the least Roy could do was look out for them as much as possible.
“Why did you arresthim? Is it because you just don’t want to ever see us get out bodies back?”Edward raged. “Why even bother toassign us under you if you aren’t going to help?!”
“Major Elric,” Roy barked, his patience almost gone. Hawkeyestiffened beside him, shifting her stance slightly. “Control yourself.”
“One day,” Edward stated, eyes narrowing, his automailfinger pointed menacingly at Roy. “You’re going to get your whole team killed,and I doubt you’ll even be sorry about it.” Hawkeye opened her mouth to reply,but Alphonse didn’t give her the chance.
“Ed!” his brother cried in shock. His fists clenched by hisside, stance shifting in disapproval. “Stop it!” However, Edward wasn’t listeningto any of them, Roy realised it now. He was a teenager throwing a tantrum becausehe didn’t get his own way. More like a fucking toddler.
Fine, let him have his tantrum. It would be the last time Roytried to fucking help him.
“Mark my words, Mustang,” Edward continued, voice ice cold. “Youwill get them all killed one day, justlike Brigadier General Hughes –”
Roy’s blood ran cold. There was more than one gasp from therest of the team behind him. Hawkeye stepped forward, but Roy threw his arm outto stop her. No, if Edward had something to say, Roy wanted to hear it. He wasa masochist that way. This was what Roy deserved.
“Ed!” Alphonse shouted. This was the angriest Roy had everheard him. It was not an emotion that should be associated with Alphonse Elric.
“None of them even trustyou, that’s why –”
“Ed, shut up!” Alphonse shouted. That seemed to get throughto his brother, because Edward finally stopped his tirade, rounding on hisbrother.
“What, Al? It’s true!”
“That’s it!” Ifthe situation wasn’t so serious, Roy might have laughed as Alphonse dragged hisspitting angry brother out the door to the office by his shirt, the doorslamming loudly behind them, shuddering in its hinges. They could still hearEdward yelling down the corridor, demanding Alphonse let him go.
Yes, it would have been funny. He might have laughed. Instead,Roy stood there as Edward’s words washed over him, shame, guilt, anduncertainty following close behind.
“Sir –” Hawkeye began, tone low, with an edge of anger toit.
“Get back to work,” he commanded, leaving no room forargument. Roy walked over to his desk, although even he had to admit it feltwooden. He was still too busy reeling from Edward’s words.
They don’t trust you.
You’ll get them all killed.
How often had it happened now where he voiced those thoughtsin his own head?
* * *
Mustang barely said a word to anyone else for the rest ofthe afternoon. Instead of his usual milling about the team’s desks, hoping tofind conversation and therefore a way out of his paperwork, he remained at hisdesk and actually did his work.
That was why Riza knew Edward’s words had affected him.
Edward had been… justified, somewhat, in what he said, althoughRiza didn’t approve in the slightest. In fact, she had felt angry towards the oldestbrother, her eyes flashing in response to his words. Not only because they weren’ttrue, Mustang did care about them all,no matter what Edward appeared to believe, but because she also knew Mustangwould take it to heart. He had only been trying to save the boy’s lives, andhad succeeded, but because they lost a solid lead to their newest connection tothe Philosopher’s Stone, Edward saw it as a personal attack against them. Hewas understandably frustrated, they allwere for the brothers, but that verbal lashing was unwarranted, especially themention of the late Brigadier General.
Alphonse was the complete opposite. He had been horrified tohear Edward talk in such a way to Mustang and had angrily told Edward to comeback and see them when “he was no longer acting insane”. The youngest brotherhad waited with them all afternoon, but eventually, and apologetically, leftfor the evening around an hour ago. He was ashamed of his brother’s actions,that much was true. Breda had explained to him why Mustang interfered.
The man they had been pursuing, Arthur Commons, was a serialkiller in Central. This was unknown information to Edward and Alphonse. They hadn’tmentioned a name when they revealed they were pursuing a lead, but when Fueryheard over the radio that Commons had been spotted, and Edward and Alphonse werewith him, Riza had put two and two together – at the same time Mustang had – andthey were up and out the office within two minutes. The last thing they neededwas a serial killer who targeted children luring the two brothers in with falseinformation about the Philosopher’s Stone.
Once Alphonse found that out, he stewed silently for a whilebefore leaving, probably to find Edward.
Five o’clock came and went and Mustang made no move to leavethe office. The other men left, shooting their commanding officer concernedlooks, while Riza reassured them quietly that she would take care of it.
“Sir?”
“You trust me, don’t you?”
Riza hadn’t expected that to be his response, but how couldit not be? Her posture relaxed and she rounded his desk. Mustang sounded so…dejected. She couldn’t let him wallow in this any longer.
“Do you even have to question that? At this point in our lives?”
“I told myself that was the last time I helped them.” Heexhaled forcefully through his nose, as if trying to laugh. “But I know it won’tbe. I couldn’t to do that to Alphonse, no matter how much of a little shit Edwardis.”
“I know, sir,” Riza replied. “He was just frustrated, that’sall. We all knew the plan, but they didn’t. From the outside, I could see whyEd reacted the way he did. He had no idea Commons was a serial killer. I still don’tthink he does.”
“He wouldn’t have let me get a word in edgeways, either,” hemuttered under his breath, scrubbing at his face tiredly.
“Are you okay, sir?” Riza asked, noticing the darker circlesunder his eyes.
“Yeah, it’s just…”
“What, sir?”
“I…” He sighed, sitting back in his chair. Mustang tippedhis head back and gazed up at the ceiling as he spoke, rather than meeting hereyes. “I keep thinking about what Ed said –”
“Sir,” Riza warned, gearing up to tell him it wasn’t true. Allthe men on his team trusted Mustang with their lives, he should know not toquestion that by now.
“Let me finish, please. I kept thinking about what I did inIshval, and how I betrayed your trust.” His gaze lazily made its way down tomeet her own, as if afraid he would see validation for his own fears in her eyes.
“Sir, we’ve talked about this,” she reminded him gently,moving so she was closer. This was a moment of comfort, and Riza was wiling togive it to him. She always would be. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I know, but today reopened a fresh wound.”
“You did what you had to do.”
“You were so angry, though.”
The hands that had been playing absentmindedly with his rankstilled. “I was.” Her reply was simple, cautious. “Only because I didn’t understand.Once I’d heard Bradley had decreed the murder of the Ishvalan people, only thendid I understand. We both did horrific things. I won’t justify it to say we didit to survive, because we didn’t. Not really. It wasn’t a life or deathsituation. We were ordered to murder innocents, plain and simple.” Roy’s handlifted to cover her own, his skin a welcome sensation on hers. “We did it becausewere too young and stupid to know otherwise. However, now,” Riza inhaled,placing her other hand on his other shoulders, giving them a quick squeeze asshe stood behind him. “We fight to ensure nothing like that happens again.”
“Right.”
“And there’s no one in this world I trust more to head thisfight, than you.” She felt Mustang relax under her hands while he gave them aquick squeeze, his thumbs stroking the backs of her hands. “Please,” she added,tone softening. “Don’t doubt my trust in you again.”
“I always knew you trusted me, I just wanted to make sure itwasn’t blind.”
Riza chuckled softly. “You should know by now that couldnever happen. You gave me permission to shoot you, should you ever divert fromthe right path, so it wouldn’t do if I was blind to your actions.”
“I suppose your right,” he smiled up at her. Her heartfluttered happily in her chest. She was pleased she had been able to soothe hisfears for the moment. When Edward came back, however, that would be anotherbattle they needed to win.
A knock at the door interrupted their quiet moment. Rizastraightened and moved towards it, smiling back at Roy as his hand outstretchedto follow her own, clearly wanting to hold onto it for as long as he could.
When Riza opened the door, Alphonse’s metal arm shot pasther, holding Edward by the scruff of his jacket, and shoving him withoutceremony before her. Riza blinked at the older brother, slight disproval on herface. How could he have doubted Mustang’sloyalty to them all?
“Ed has something he wants to say to you,” Al announced,sounding like a mother rather than Edward’s brother.
“Can I… Can I talk to you?” Edward mumbled, eyes cast down tothe floor.
Riza looked back towards Mustang, who’s expression wasschooled and controlled. He leaned back in his chair, eyes scrutinising Edward.He certainly looked sorry for what he said, and Riza supposed that was something.
“All right, Edward.” Mustang’s voice held a coldness to itand for once, Riza wasn’t opposed to it. She watched Edward shuffle inside theroom, her own cold eyes watching him. Like a dog with its tail between itslegs, he stopped before Mustang’s desk.
Riza closed the door behind the Elrics and moved over to thecoffee pot. She had a feeling this was going to be along evening.
