Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Misspoken ❯ Movie ( Chapter 7 )

 

 

Misspoken

 

VII

 

Movie

 

 

Ed sucked in his breath sharply, then said in a nervous voice, “Hi... Thanks for coming to pick me up. I mean... Thanks for inviting me out. Not that this is a date or anything,” he added quickly. “I mean, we're just going out as...”

 

He paused when he heard the front door open and close before the sound of Alphonse calling for him sounded through the small dorm. Ed snapped his mouth shut, wondering in embarrassment if there was any way Al could have heard him practicing what he was going to say when Mustang came to pick him up.

 

Pulling the bedroom door open, Ed walked out into the living area to see his brother dropping a sack of groceries on the counter.

“You know, if I didn't shop, then you'd probably starve to death,” Al said as he began putting things away.

 

“If I didn't work, then it wouldn't matter. We'd have no money anyway,” Ed retorted, stepping over to help Al with the groceries. “Of course, now that my fucking research budget has been cut, we'll probably have to start using some of our own money to look for the stone...”

 

He suddenly felt irritated again and wondered why the hell he'd agreed to go see a movie with Mustang. The man was totally jeopardizing everything by cutting their budget! How could they look for the stone if they had no funds? Of course, Ed knew why he'd accepted, and he was a little embarrassed to admit the fact, even to himself.

 

Ed wasn't exactly sure why Mustang had invited him, but he wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to spend more time with him outside of the office. He just needed to keep reminding himself that this wasn't a date... it was just... well... He wasn't sure, but it was something...

 

“Are you really going to go see a movie with the colonel?” Al asked as he folded up the paper sack and put it aside.

 

“Of course!” Ed said. “I've never seen a movie and he's paying.” Even if he didn't like Mustang, Ed would probably accept. They didn't have things like movies in Rizembool; only the really big cities like Central had them. Even though they hadn't lived in Rizembool for a little over four years, they were much too busy trying to restore themselves to think about things like motion pictures. Plus, movies were too expensive and Ed didn't want to waste money on something so frivolous...

 

“Lucky...” Al said and Ed could tell he sounded slightly disappointed.

 

Ed stared at his brother for a moment and guilt filled him. Al had never seen a movie either... “You can come with us,” he finally said.

 

Al shook his head. “I couldn't invite myself. It would be rude.”

 

Tapping his fingers on the counter, Ed thought about it, then said, “Fine. How about I go with the stupid colonel and see what this whole motion picture thing is like, and if it's good, then we'll go the next time I get paid.”

 

“Really?” Al asked in an excited tone.

 

“Would I lie to you?” Ed asked.

 

“Yes,” Al said automatically, then laughed when Ed crumpled up the paper sack he'd been holding and threw it at him.

 

“I wouldn't lie about this,” Ed said with a smile. If Al really wanted to go to see a movie, then Ed would take him, even if it did cost a ridiculous amount of money. That's just the way it was. Older brothers did things like that for their younger brothers.

 

Ed opened his mouth to say something, but when a knock sounded on the door, the words caught in his throat. “I'll get it!” Al exclaimed happily.

 

Breathing in deeply, Ed listened to his brother open the door and politely invite Mustang in.

 

“Where's Ed?” Mustang said, and Ed quickly moved from the kitchen to the living area. When the colonel saw him, he said, “Ready to go?”

 

“Of course. What'd you think?” Ed said flippantly. He walked past Mustang and waved a hand. “See ya, Al.” He was down the hall when Mustang finally caught up with him, and by this time he was starting to feel nervous again. His `practice talk' hadn't exactly gone well, and he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to say now.

 

Ed slowed his pace and allowed Mustang to walk in front of them as they exited the building. What should he talk about? Should he just let Mustang start the conversation? Would he look stupid if he didn't have anything to say? Normally, Ed never talked to Mustang except when it came to work matters, but he didn't have anything work related to talk about and they weren't at work anyway...

 

“I think you'll like this movie,” Mustang said when they were out on the sidewalk.

 

Ed shrugged and moved so that he was walking side-by-side with Mustang. “We'll see,” he said neutrally, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. He felt so edgy; worried that he'd say something wrong.

 

When he'd gone to lunch with Mustang earlier that week, Ed had been surprised and—much to his secret embarrassment—very pleased, when Mustang had begun to ask about him. The conversation had been short, though that was probably to the best since he'd been unsure what he should say then as well. Mustang never took an interest in him personally...

 

Even now, Ed felt a little like covering his face with his hands in utter humiliation. He couldn't believe he'd said that he played kickball(1)! He hadn't done that since he was a little boy! Not that he hadn't had fun playing the game then, but he didn't want to look like a little kid to Mustang. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to come up with anything better than that and playing cards...

 

He must think I'm such a loser... Ed thought, then chanced a glance at Mustang. The man seemed content to walk in silence, but that only made Ed more nervous. At least when they'd been at the restaurant, he'd been able to fill the uneasy atmosphere with eating his lunch.

 

Ed cleared his throat and said, “So... what's this movie thing about?” He'd heard about the whole `moving picture' thing, and had even spent a lazy afternoon reading about it. He was interested to know what kind of `story' they'd be watching.

 

“Actually, it's an `animation' movie. They've become rather popular this year,” Mustang said, and Ed frowned. He'd heard of people drawing pictures and making them look like they were moving instead of recording people, but he'd supposed that such a think wouldn't be very entertaining.

 

Ed looked away from Mustang. He supposed it really wouldn't matter whether or not it was entertaining; what mattered was that he had the chance to do something one-on-one with Mustang and he let a small smile touch his face as he pretended that they were on a date.

 

When they reached the theater house, Mustang paid for the tickets to see a movie called `Krazy Kat goes a-wooing'(2) and motioned Ed to follow him inside. Ed looked at his ticket, then hurried to catch up.

 

“I thought it cost more than this,” he said, motioning to the price written on the small stub of paper.

 

“Depends on where you go,” Mustang said, handing his paper to someone who motioned them through a door. Ed was reluctant to give his up, but since he couldn't go in without handing it over, he did so, then opened the door and went inside.

 

He looked around. The dimly-lit room was open and had about ten or so rows of chairs. They were all facing a large screen which was blank for now. He looked around and saw a few people sitting here and there, and when he saw Mustang taking a seat at the very end, he hurried over and sat down beside him.

 

“So why is this place so cheap?” Ed asked curiously.

 

Mustang folded his arms and looked down at him before saying, “This movie house used to be a nickelodeon(3). They've fixed it up to stay in business, though not as much as other establishments. They get all the older movies the movie palaces(4) don't want anymore, and charge less for admission.” He looked around and said, “It's not nearly as nice here, but none of the movie palaces were showing an animation right now, and I thought you'd like to see one.”

 

“And because you're cheap,” Ed put in. He was beginning to feel more at ease now that they had something to talk about, and it was natural to poke fun at the man.

 

Mustang turned and glared down at him. “Excuse me? Who's the one paying for this?” Ed shut his mouth. The colonel had a point... “Anyway, animations are short, so it's easy for this place to run them.”

 

Ed opened his mouth, about to ask irritably if Mustang thought he would like the animation because it was short, but stopped when the lights above went out, the screen in front lit up, and sound of a piano filled the room. The name of the movie showed up on the screen, then it changed to a house and an airplane, then a cat with a guitar came out and started to sing. He couldn't hear the singing, but it was indicated by little notes above the cat's head.

 

He felt mesmerized at how it really did look like the cat was jumping in the plane and flying off, even though he knew it was just a bunch of pictures. The cat landed and a word bubble appeared above his head before he started to sing under a window.

 

0-0-0-0

 

Roy ignored the movie and studied Ed's reactions. He'd seen this same animation a few times and was more interested in Ed at the moment. The teen was sitting forward in his chair now, eyes wide and fixed on the screen. He seemed so serious and intent, then he suddenly laughed when the mouse in the film got a sack full of bricks and began tossing them at the cat for singing under the wrong window.

 

He wanted to shake his head at himself. Here he was, in the dingiest movie establishment in the city—one not suitable for dates, women on their own, or children—with Ed in tow. Hawkeye had mentioned taking Ed to see a movie, though he had a feeling she wouldn't be too pleased with his choice of theaters.

 

Alright, so he was cheap. That was true, but he also felt a little strange taking Ed out when he knew the teen had a crush on him. Would Ed feel like this was a date? Did he feel like it was a date? Well... yeah, he sort of did... but you didn't take dates to roach infested dumps like this, so it wasn't really a date... right?

 

Roy eyed Ed curiously. What would make someone like Ed want to be with a man anyway? He was good looking and not `wimpy' or `girly' as the stereotype dictated such men were like. Ed could easily find a girlfriend if he wanted one; hell, that Rockbell girl seemed to like him well enough.

 

He tapped his fingers softly against his leg as he thought. Hawkeye enjoyed the company of other women, and he'd never had a problem with it—of course, the thought of two women getting it on was sort of a fantasy for him... But he'd never thought about two men together... He tried to imagine himself with a man. The thought was... strange... but not exactly repulsive—which was a bit of a surprise to him... It wasn't something he'd be opposed to trying...

 

Roy blinked when he realized the animation was over. The lights turned on, and Ed turned to him with a grin and said, “That was great! I'm going to have to take Al here! He'll love it!” Ed stood and moved away from the chairs. “Plus, he loves cats.”

 

He was about to say that perhaps this wasn't the best place for two kids, then thought better of it; both because Ed was reaching the age where it was hard to call him a kid, and the fact that Ed and Al could take care of themselves if there was any problems.

 

Roy stood and started toward the doors with Ed following him. “Do you like cats?” Roy asked, digging for more things Ed could be interested in.

 

“Sure, but not like Al. He loves them... well, he loves all animals, but cats in particular.”

 

“But you don't have a favorite animal?” Roy asked as he walked out of the small theater and onto the sidewalk.

 

Ed looked at him and gave him a `you're an idiot' look before saying, “No. Only kids have things like favorite animals.”

 

“Kain Fuery loves dogs,” Roy pointed out.

 

“Wouldn't it be great if we could use that animation thing to draw arrays for alchemists?” Ed asked, changing the subject suddenly. “I wouldn't need it, but maybe it would be useful to Al.” He was quiet for a moment, then said, “It would be hard though cause you'd need a projector... I'm sure it could be useful somehow though...” Ed trailed off into silence—obviously engrossed in the idea.

 

“I don't think animation will ever be anything more than an entertainment device,” Roy said.

 

Ed waved that off. “Don't be stupid. This whole `moving drawing' thing will probably only end up being some crazy fad. Anyway, if we could get the projector to draw the alchemy circle at the—”

 

“Don't you think about anything besides alchemy?” Roy asked irritably. He wanted to have a normal conversation.

 

“Sure,” Ed answered absentmindedly. “Al, the Stone, food...” Ed looked up at him with a glare and growled, “How much is in my research budget...”

 

“Besides all of that,” Roy asked, ignoring Ed's barb about the budget cut. It wasn't as if he'd done it to be malicious after all... “What do you think about that isn't any of that?”

 

Ed stared fixedly at him for a moment, and Roy noticed that his cheeks were turning a very intriguing shade of pink, before Ed looked away and grumbled, “Haven't we had this discussion already?”

 

Roy, being used to such looks from the ladies, instantly understood why Ed had blushed and found it both odd and flattering at the same time. Ed's little crush was amusing, but that wasn't exactly something Roy wanted to talk about, and he was sure Ed wouldn't be interested in talking about it either. So, instead, he said, “What about soccer? You said you liked that.”

 

“When I was a kid!” Ed said, rolling his eyes, then pointed down the sidewalk to a hotdog vender. “I'm hungry,” he said, then began jogging toward the cart.

 

Shaking his head, Roy walked casually toward the vendor and watched as Ed paid for the food. “Maybe you should try playing soccer again,” Roy suggested.

 

“No thanks,” Ed said around a large bite of hotdog. “I have more important things to do.”

 

“Even your brother doesn't spend all his time researching,” Roy pointed out.

 

“Al deserves to play. Besides, you can't really play without teams,” Ed said before taking another bite.

 

Roy frowned. He hadn't missed the first part of what Ed had said. Did Ed feel like he didn't deserve to play and have fun? He shook his head, deciding to think about that later, then focused on the subject at hand. It was probably true that you couldn't play without teams. His knowledge of the game was rather limited, given that he had been interested in other sports when he was younger. “Why not just kick the ball around a little bit? Just for a change.”

 

“I don't need a change,” Ed pressed, then paused before saying slowly, “Besides, I don't want to kick the ball around by myself.”

 

Roy opened his mouth, ready to suggest Ed do it with Alphonse, when he realized Ed was looking at him in a way that suggested he was hoping Roy would volunteer. He thought about this for a moment. It wasn't as if he couldn't kick the ball around with Ed, but...

 

But what?

 

Would it really hurt to play this once with Ed? It would make sure Ed did something different, and maybe Ed would decide he wanted to do it more often—with Alphonse, of course. But what was the real motivation here? After all, why did it matter if Ed had more interests? It wasn't as if he was dating Ed... or was he? Was he subconsciously interested in seeing what it would be like to go out with another male?

 

His original goal had been to see if Ed was interested in him, and he'd found that out. Sure, he'd been a little annoyed at the restaurant at Ed being so single minded, and he'd been appalled at how lousy of a date Ed probably would be, but why did it bother him so much and why did he want to do something about it?

 

“I'd offer,” Roy lied, not wanting to think on that line of reasoning anymore, “but I don't know anything about soccer.” Even if he was interested in seeing what it would be like to be with another guy, it probably should be someone who wasn't one of his subordinates. Better to keep his distance. He'd just... nudge Ed in the right direction away from the library and leave it at that. Yeah... that's what he'd do...

 

For a second, Ed looked a little disappointed, then he said in a taunting voice, “That's okay. You'd probably suck anyway. You have to have speed, stamina, strength, suppleness, and skill to play soccer. Since you don't have any of those, I'm sure just kicking the ball around would be too much for an old guy like you.”

 

Roy opened his mouth, then closed it again. He would not let Ed goad him. He was the adult and more the more mature one. He'd stick to what he decided because that's what was best. Yet the longer he looked at Ed's smug face, the more his wounded pride demanded restitution...

 

--

 

1 - Just a note here. Apparently `kickball' and `soccer' (or football, depending on where you live) are two different things. I didn't know that until amethyst-eyed koneko pointed that out. Soooo, for the sake of the story, we'll just say that it is.

 

2 - Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing is an actual animation from 1916. It runs for 2 minutes and 15 seconds. You can find it on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcmfe0F6vVA

 

3 - The first establishments to show motion pictures in the U.S. Nickelodeons charged 5 cents for admission (thus the NICKEL in nickelodeon). These establishments were mostly frequented by the working class. The time of the nickelodeons lasted for about 10 years, and when studios began making feature-length films, theaters had to charge more. One by one, the nickelodeons either went out of business or were renovated to accommodate larger and more sophisticated crowds.

 

4 - The original movie theaters were called `movie palaces'. This is not counting the nickelodeons, which were not technically theaters. `Movie palaces' were known for being rather extravagant in design in order to attract as many paying customers as possible. The first movie palace (The Regent in New York City) was built in 1913. Between 1914 and 1922, 4,000 new theaters were built in the U.S. They had impressive lobbies with very rich looking European décor and were basically meant to give moviegoers the feeling of being royalty and to be an escape from normal life.

 

I have no idea whether or not older movies were ever `passed down' to `lesser' theaters in those days. I read about how some nickelodeons were fixed up so that they could justify charging more when it began to cost more to show movies (when movies became longer), but I couldn't find anything on this subject, so I'm playing around with movie history a bit.