Chapter 31

Worrying about Ed, Roy decided to go home early. When he arrived at his apartment, Ed was doing his homework on the dining table. He just stared at his father and didn’t speak a word, then continue doing his homework. Roy hanged his coat and was about to approach him for some talking when he stood up and went to his bedroom. The flame alchemist just stared at him blankly until he heard the bedroom door slammed. He sighed. Geez, I’d bet my state alchemist license that the kid has mind-reading ability, he thought.

I wonder what’s wrong with him…he never done this before, not telling me his problems and wander off. Of course this is not the first time I heard him argue with Alphonse, but…I just felt something’s wrong with him.

After changing his military uniform into a pair of gray parachute pants and a black t-shirt, Roy entered his study and decided to work on deciphering Hohenheim’s book because there’s nothing else to do when being home in this hour.

It’s been years and he still haven’t figure out what was the real secret behind Edward’s transmutation – or maybe Edward and Alphonse’s transmutation. He’s been trying to get information about Alphonse over the past few years, but there’s none in particular that helps his research. Although he was really sure that the theory written there is for transmuting twins, but he can’t say that Alphonse is Edward’s twin brother just because they’re identical. And back when he found Ed in the abandoned house in Resembool, the poor child was alone. But still, both Edward and Alphonse have unique eye colors – although they’re different.

Are they really related…or not?

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It was way past dinnertime when Roy was awake. He fell asleep on his desk and almost get a heart attack when he saw the clock – 1:00 AM. He had been engrossed in his study for so long that he didn’t realize – but today he made lots of progress in his research. He do remembered turning on the lights because it was getting dark outside, but he didn’t remember turning them off or even getting a blanket – which is now hanging on his back. When he saw the red choo-choo train pattern on the dark blue blanket, he smiled. It’s Ed’s favorite blanket.

Suddenly, he felt his stomach grumble. Of course he’s hungry, he haven’t eaten anything all day. After setting the blanket down on his chair, he went to the kitchen and turned on the lights, grabbed a packet of Xingese instant noodle and cook. After he finished his instant dinner (or breakfast), he went to Ed’s bedroom to check on him.

He opened the door slowly, trying not to make a sound because he’s sure that Edward is asleep in this hour. Just as he thought – he is asleep. But not on his bed – on his desk. He sighed, like father like son. He then slowly tried to lift him up to move him to his bed, but something caught his attention. He was writing something when he fell asleep. After setting him on his bed and covered his body with a blanket, he took his son’s book before he went out and closed the door. He flapped through the book and soon found out that it’s his son’s diary. Of course he never thought that a rascal boy like Edward would bother to write one. Perhaps if he did, then there’s something that he can’t tell to anybody. After all, that’s what diaries are for.

He flicked through the pages and found nothing in particular – just his days with his friends in the new academy, meeting Christopher and his old friends at school and play baseball every afterschool, receiving a bike from his father’s subordinates as a birthday gift…

But the last four months, he has been filling them out irregularly. He skipped a day or two, or maybe even a week, and when he wrote he just wrote his fight that day with Alphonse. But the last two pages he wrote are the worst:

16th March

Fight again with that stupid pretty boy Alphonse. Now he’s saying that my daddy works part-time as a sex slut at night and lonely woman pay some bucks to be his one-night stand. I looked up in the dictionary and found what does ‘slut’ means. Then after school, I quickly grabbed his collar and beat him up to pieces – we fought until Ms. Grey stopped us and she said we both got detention tomorrow. I’d better fix my uniform with alchemy before daddy Roy gets home.

28th March

Today in class we learned where do babies come from and it’s embarrassing. But something’s bothering me: if you need a mommy and a daddy to make a baby, where do I come from? I never have a mommy, and I know that mommy Riza is not my mommy. Everytime I asked daddy Roy, he never answered. Then Alphonse shouted to the whole class “Oh yeah, Edward didn’t have a mommy, right? I wonder where does he come from?!” then he continued again “I know! His daddy is a slut, so his mommy must be a whore! Yeah, just like in those novels your mommy reads, his daddy got some whore off the street and knocked her up, then when he’s born she left him on his daddy’s porch!” so I punched his face and we both started to fight. The whole class is cheering at us and Ms. Grey tried to stop us but we accidentally pushed her aside, then I saw her went out of the class but Alphonse grabbed my collar and pulled me down. I kicked his butt and we started to wrestle, and stopped by Mrs. Von Deauxnim. Then she dragged us both to the principal’s office and she gave us a very long lecture. I was half-asleep and Alphonse keeps bothering me, so I didn’t really listen. When she told both of us to talk, we both keep our mouth shut. I am scared to talk because if I do, then Alphonse will say something more badly next time. Mrs. Von Deauxnim said that she will call both of our parents again because this is the fifth time we get dragged to the principal’s office. She said something like “If you both are not His Excellency’s direct scouts, I’ll expel you already!” then she went out of the room for a very long time, then daddy Roy came. He was really disappointed, I know. I bet he’s going to be angry after we arrived home. On our way home, he asked me why I am always fighting with Alphonse. I’m too scared to say anything because daddy Roy will surely say to Ms. Grey and Mrs. Von Deauxnim, so I shut up and run away. I hope he won’t say anything to them when he finds out.

The notebook slipped from Roy‘s hands. He can’t believe what he just read. Alphonse? That boy who seemed to be a goody-two-shoes-bookworm-genius saying such words like these?! I can’t believe it…but Edward wouldn’t lie, I know! My son won’t lie and I never teach him words like these! So…this is what’s happening all the time?!