Broken↩️🪭 ✔

Chapter 7

As Roy argued with the proprietor of the building about Edward's true place, Maes was to take care of him for a second. It disturbed him that Edward's automatic function was to make tea. He did so masterfully and he brought it over to Maes, setting the small tray in front of him. He then sat on his knees and waited for Maes to taste it. Maes did and was surprised that it was... exactly how he liked it.

"Edward... How did you know?"

"Roy will save me." He said, turning away as if he was going to be smacked.

There was a very forceful thud against the wall of the room where Roy and the man were talking and Maes looked up. He sighed and drank his tea in silence with Edward still on his knees in front of him. There was another thud and the sound of sheet rock falling from the ceiling. Edward looked over casually as if it weren't anything new.

"I know this won't make a difference to your mind," Edward turned to him. "But we traveled a long way to find you... I know it's late but... but we're going to take you home."

Edward looked at him curiously.

"Roy will save me. A-56-60-8-10-D."

Maes sighed, trying not to shake the child awake and let him know that Roy was already there... He suddenly felt Edward touch his hand and looked down. Edward was setting it on top of his head and moving it about. Maes took up what it looked like Edward was asking for and rustled his hair a little. Edward smiled and got a little closer to Maes, reaching up to touch his beard. He then reached up and grabbed his glasses, taking them off slowly. Maes suddenly realized what he was doing and pulled back quickly.

The motion scared Edward and he fell back, whimpering and scrunching into a ball.

"Roy will save me! Roy will save me! He always comes! A-56-60-8-10-D! Roy will save me!" he cried over and over again, shaking in the little ball he'd scrunched himself into.

There was another thud and the door broke open, the proprietor on the ground and Roy coming through the door with his fingers ready to strike. There was a menacing glare in his eyes as he looked at the man on the ground.

"I'm not playing around anymore. If you don't give that child to me, in the name of the Amestrian military forces, I will burn your business to the ground. And I will make sure every little service you do is let loose and told to go home so they can tell stories of the atrocities of this place and then come looking for you to hunt down and kill for all the innocents you've helped defile and for fucking around with an Amestrian officer who is under my command. That, in my book, is a direct sentence to my wrath." Roy sent a warning stream of fire to the other side of the room. He then smiled cruelly at the man. "You think the Devil is something to worry about? How about I give you Hell on earth right now. Which level of Hell do you think you'll be experiencing tonight?"

"T- Take him! He's yours!"

Roy grinned and walked over him to where Maes was trying to calm Edward down.

"You scared the hell out of him, Roy. He was just coming out of his own trauma when you came in here with the fireworks."

"I'm sorry..." Roy knelt down next to Edward, who was mumbling something and shaking. "Edward, I'm sorry. Let's go home.

"He can't understand you and he won't let me touch him."

Roy made a face. "Let me try something... Fullmetal."

Edward peeked out from under an arm.

"Fullmetal, I'm talking to you. Please respond."

He slowly unfolded and got back on his knees, his head down. He also raised his hand up in a salute. Maes narrowed his eyes at him.