damned_institute | DAY 23: BREAKFAST

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DAY 23: BREAKFAST

That hadn't felt like an entire night.

And his goddamn head hurt. Pounded, even. Enough that he wondered if he was going to end up playing another round of "Christen the nurse" this morning.

Maybe it was because he'd spent so much time and energy trying to find Nowe. That could be the reason behind both those problems. Just the thought of it made his stomach turn, made him want to fucking choke something.

Still, there was shit to do. He forced himself out of bed to put away his pens and the other leftovers from the adventures that didn't happen last night. He'd have to try to talk to Sora today, to see if they could just do tonight what they were going to do last night... and to see if the kid was doing alright.

...he just wished his head would stop hurting. That was probably the result of just how badly he'd overreached himself the previous morning.

The nurse that showed up to get him was cheerful. He grunted at her, listening to her with only half an ear until she mentioned all the excitement, about someone pretending to be a patient, all that crap that Landel had mentioned.

Renji gave her a narrow-eyed look. "Dr. Landel is a goddamn lying coward, and he's lying about that, too," he said. Whether it was true or not, there was only so much good cheer he could take on a shitty morning. "I hope he chokes on a cock." No matter how much venom he put in that statement, it wasn't enough.

Then he had to listen to a lecture about language and gratitude for the rest of the walk to the cafeteria, so maybe it wasn't worth it after all. She dragged him through the breakfast line, and he ended up with granola and toast and tea and a cinnamon roll, because not even a shitty fucking night could ruin his sweet tooth. Though that thing was looking a little too sweet.

The cafeteria was pretty much empty; he had his run of the place. He sat himself about as far from the doors as he could get, and proceeded to stare at his breakfast.

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Ed was lucky. While he did indeed need to face Hughes, the man was in a far, far better mood than he had been yesterday. While the night may not have gone perfectly, it had still gone pretty damn well. Well enough. Certainly well enough to leave him relaxed and ready to face the day.

The Head Doctor's ramblings had only cemented his own feelings - if they could be believed. That the man on the radio wasn't a friend to anyone in the institute. And the details were filed away for further dissecting, sometime after breakfast. Ever so slowly, peices were falling into place.

At breakfast, Hughes grabbed a tray and spotted Ed. He headed over, smiling, and stood beside the teenager's table.

"You okay? I figured you didn't show up last night because you didn't want to, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

He didn't make any move to sit, making it clear he really was just checking to make sure Ed was alright.

Ed hunched up slightly when he spotted Hughes approaching, futilely hoping that if he made himself look small, then Hughes wouldn't notice him. No such luck of course.

He looked warily up at the older man, trying to guage how much explaning he'd need to do. But Hughes looked unexpectedly cheerful. That made Ed even more suspicious.

"I was going to come," he said, setting down his knife and fork. "But Adel turned up and then Tamaki and then I'd already promised to make Fox a weapon and I did but I was tired from the night before and making alcohol and I sort of fell asleep." His words came out in a rush of explanation, not at all like he'd intended because he really didn't want Hughes to be pissed at him, or disappointed. "Sorry."

Hughes's eyebrows shot up at that, and he barked a small laugh.

"Sounds like you had a busy night!" he said, clapping Ed on the shoulder. There was little to no hint of the man being upset or otherwise bothered by what had happened.

"Look, Ed, it's fine that you didn't show up. I'm sorry I was kinda gruff with you yesterday, I just... well, sometimes I forget what it's like to be sixteen. And you're like my own kid, you know? I worry about you. But I do know what it's like to be sixteen, and... hey, just be careful and don't let your hormones override your better sense." Then he paused.

"So, Tamaki's the blond you were with the other day, huh? He..." Then Hughes stopped, mid-sentence, and frowned some. More in puzzlement than anything else.

"Ed? Why were you making alcohol?"

That reaction was definitely not what he had expected. He seemed to be taking it remarkably well, rather than being annoyed that Ed had bailed on him. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. It wasn't like it was a bad thing not to be lectured, but it was just... odd.

He squrimed uncomfortably as Hughes started talking. All that stuff about hormones and being sixteen and oh god, was it going to be one of those talks? The ones which began by talking about 'the birds and the bees'? The ones where he already knew everything about the facts of life, had done since he was ten, and which just got worse from there.

"My hormones are fine," he said quietly, hoping to tail this talk off before it had begun. "Yeah, that's Tamaki. He a friend." That was all. Friends could kiss right? It wasn't like it was any of that girly mushy stuff like girls talked about.

The sudden change in topic made him blink and run back over what he'd said. "Uh... I was bored and pissed off. And it was disgusting anyway." Great, he was going to be lectured about drinking now, even though he hadn't actually drunk much of it.

"You're sixteen, your hormones aren't fine." Hughes chuckled and sat down. "And they won't be for a few years. Hey, I've been there. And I was... well, I made a few mistakes in my wild youth." He gave Ed a fatherly wink. How the hell could he lecture the kid after what he'd been doing last night? He just wanted Ed to be careful and not make any stupid mistakes.

"A friend, huh? Seemed like a pretty good friend." He eyed Ed carefully, and shrugged. "Hey, no reason to get all weird, he seems nice, he's good looking... kind of a pretty boy, but hey, no harm in liking pretty boys. It's just uh... look, I've talked to a couple of his friends... the whole... you know. Prostitute thing." He made a face, obviously a bit uncomfortable with the situation. But he wanted to be sure Ed knew.

"What'd you use to make it?" Hughes sounded much more interested than upset.

Oh hell, this was just painful. Ed cringed, scrunching his face up in a very teenage expression of discomfort and embarrassment. He may have been a genius alchemist, but he was also a teenage boy. This kind of thing would always be uncomfortable. It was some kind of cosmic law. Had to be.
And that wink... he just wanted to alchemise a hole in the floor and disappear. "I don't do 'wild' that way. I do property destruction. Just ask the Colonel." Alchemy and blowing things up was what he did best, after all.

He returned Hughes' look stubbornly, although the slight blush on his cheeks made it less than effective. Hughes had seen. Fuck. That was the worst thing. He'd seen Ed kiss Tamaki.

Wait... prostitute? Tamaki?!? Tamaki, the one who thought that even kissing was meant for a person's one true love? That was... He started snickering softly, finding the whole idea hilarious. Where on earth had Hughes got that idea from? "Prostitute?! He finally managed to gasp out, grinning at the very thought. "I don't know if Tamaki even knows what sex is." Well, he probably did. Someone of his age had to, right?

"Apple juice," he said, his mood much improved now. "But it ended up too strong. Let it ferment too long."

"Ed, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's perfectly normal." Hughes shrugged, stabbing at a piece of bacon with his fork. "You're a teenager, it's what teenagers do. And it's fine." He then blinked, a bit taken aback.

Had he completely misinterpreted things? But the way Honey had made it sound....

"So he's not a hooker?" he asked, completely stunned. "Geeze, that kid wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't good at explaining. Oh man, Ed, I owe you an apology. I was under the wrong impression, and I'm sorry. You... you two kids have fun, in that case." Well, that was a big misunderstanding. And here he'd been...

Well, it was cleared up now. he gave a sidelong look, and cleared his throat.

"You... you know...everything you need to, right? We don't... we don't have to have that talk, right?" Ed at least seemed to not need it. Which was really better for everyone involved.

"Huh. You know, that's real clever of you. You get it tasting okay, you let me know. And if you end up getting yourself drunk, stay in your room."

Ed shook his head, blushing even more at what Hughes had thought. "f course he's not... not that, he said, feeling mortified on Tamaki's behalf. "He said he Hosted. Like..." he paused, remembering how Tamaki had explained it. "Like, tea-parties and stuff, with girls. And being Courtly," he added firmly, even if he still wasn't entirely sure what Courtly was supposed to mean.

He squrimed again, nodding very firmly. "I know everything," he said quickly. "I've known for years. No talk necessary." Ever.

Ed looked up at Hughes in surprise when he asked about the alcohol. Hughes was glad about it? "You're not mad," he asked warily. This pretty much confirmed his suspicion that people lost their sanity once they turned eighteen. He really didn't want to turn eighteen.

"Oh, well.... like I said, there was a misunderstanding." Hughes held up his hands. "But you can see why I was worried now. I've got nothing against you dating and stuff - hell, I'm glad you are - but...well... I just want to make sure they're good enough for you." He chuckled some.

"Courtly." Hughes just nodded. "Alright, well, nevermind my vague lecturing yesterday, then. You two seem like you've got everything under control." And that was that, as far as he was concerned.

"Okay, good." He let out a sigh of relief. "That's good." he wasn't exactly good at that kind of thing.

"Ed, I've got no place to be upset. I know what I was doing at your age, and I know what everybody else was doing, too. You're gonna do what you're gonna do. I'm only concerned that you do it safely and responsibly."

Ed nodded shortly, accepting Hughes' sort-of apology. He still felt like squirming, but secretly, he was kind of pleased by Hughes' words about wanting someone to be good enough for him. His own father had never been around to do such a thing, so it was nice to hear.

"Everything's fine," he said, hoping Hughes would accept that for what it was. He was fine and it was something he'd have to sort out himself.

He smirked slightly at Hughes' obvious relief at not having to give 'The Talk' (which had now been promoted to having capital letters in his head). "Don't you need to practice for when Elysia gets over?" he said teasingly.

"I'm not interested in getting drunk," he said firmly. And he wasn't. If that was how it tasted, then he wasn't interested. Besides, he needed to be in control. He dreaded to think what alcohol would do in drunken hands.

"Okay, good." Hughes nodded. "And you know, if you do need to talk about anything, I'm here." He wanted Ed to know that. "And you know anything you say will be kept between you and me. You've got my word on that." He earned trust by keeping trust, after all. "So... what's he like?"

He wasn't going to just drop it.

"Oh, hey now, that's Gracia's department!" Hughes held up his hands, laughing. "And Elysia's not dating until she's thirty. Thirty five even. I was a teenage boy, I'm not letting any of them anywhere near her!" He winked some, clearly joking.

"That's good, Ed, I'm glad to hear that. But you know.... plenty of people around here probably are looking to take the edge off. You might want to keep that in mind."

He gave Hughes a small grateful smile for the offer. It was good to know there was someone he could ask questions of who wouldn't say anything or tease him like Mustang did and Ed hated having to ask questions from people because it meant admitting he didn't know something.

The next question however, sent him back into a suirming heap of embarrassment. "He's... he's nice," he said. What was this? Did Hughes think it was some kind of relationship or something!?! Wasn't like they were gonna' get married or anything.

"Elysia's gonna hate you for that, you know that right?" he said. Elysia would be the most protected girl in all of Amestris if Hughes had his way.

"Huh, Adel said something about that. And Fox liked it at least." Maybe there was something in the alcohol making after all. "Could trade it for stuff."

"Well obviously he's nice," Hughes said, rolling his eyes. "But could I get a few more details? All I know about him is that he's not actually the ring leader of an underage prostitution ring." Which was of course a good thing to know.

He grinned some at the mention of Elyisa.

"Well, it's either that or she can suffer through family dinners with every boy she wants to go out with, complete with interrogation and background check." Not that he was entirely joking about the last part. He had the clearance and access to do it, and he wanted to know who his little girl was with!

"Yeah, you can. Alcohol's a nice way to wind down. Hell, I managed to wheedle some out of my old doctor, and I was in a much better mood after that. People want normalcy, people want to be reminded that even though they're stuck here, that life is going on and that they aren't completely at the heel of this place. You can see how people are striving for things of their own here, all over."

"Well..." Ed said and shruged again. "He's... he's nice. He tries to help people and he's really eh... innocent, I guess." It wasn't quite the right word, but it was the best Ed could think of at the moment. He needed to teach Tamaki to fight, really he did. He just hated the thought of the other boy needing to know how. He should be back in his own world of tea parties and school.

"And then you'll pay them all late night visits in unmarked cars with Armstrong as backup?" he asked dryly. Really, teenagers had enough to contend with without parents getting in the way.

He was a little surprised by what a good idea Hughes thought the alcohol would be. It didn't seem the type of thing people would be concerned with in this place. "I guess... If you can collect fruit and stuff, and the juice they give for dinner, then I can make alcohol from it. I know what I did wrong last night, so it shouldn't be too difficult to correct."

"So his heart's in the right place, but his brain isn't?" Hughes chuckled some. "Well, good luck to you two. I'm glad you've found someone nice." He reached over and ruffled Ed's hair, grinning. he was happy for him. It was good that Ed was making friends and connections, and expanding his circle beyond his brother.

"Oh, Armstrong, Roy, Falman..." Hughes chuckled. "Nah, Elysia'll be able to take care of herself. She's a smart girl, she's going to be a brilliant woman." And Hughes intended to teach her how to handle herself. If some boy got grabby with his Elysia, she'd give him hell.

"Fruit and juice." Hughes nodded, and grinned again. "Tell you what, I'll sample your next experiment for you. You know, to test for quality."

Ed scowled briefly at Hughes for the comment. "He's not stupid," he said. If Tamaki had been stupid, Ed wouldn't have been interested. "He's just... sort of naive. I think he grew up with a rich family." So he'd never really experienced the kind of things Ed had and wasn't as clear on what happened in the rest of the world.

"I hope I'm included in that list," he said, narrowing his eyes at Hughes. "Elysia is like a sister." And he'd be devastated to see anything happen to her. Like it had to Nina. His expression darkened for a moment before he shrugged it off. That was past and there was nothing he could do about it now.

He grinned and nodded. "I think I have a big bowl I stole from the kitchen left," he said. "I can make some in there."

"I wasn't calling your boyfriend stupid!" Hughes held his hands up, quickly. "Lots of times people don't have their brain in the right place, they think with their heart. It doesn't make someone stupid, it just makes them... emotional." He shouldn't be surprised that Ed was defensive and protective about this guy. That was how Ed was.

"From what I hear, you get into enough trouble on your own. You can tail them on their dates, deal?" He turned his attention back to his breakfast, his move clearly improved over yesterday.

"Sounds good. People like their drink."

...Boyfriend?!? Wait... what?!? When had that happened?!

"He's not my boyfriend!" Ed said indignantly, only just remembering to keep his voice down. "We just kissed. That's all!" Tamaki wasn't his boyfriend. Girls had boyfriends. Tamaki was... he was... he was Ed's friend who he'd just happened to kiss. That was all.

He grinned and nodded. "Deal. And if they do anything wrong, then I'll make them regret it." Nobody hurt his family and got away with it. He wouldn't allow it to happen again. Not ever.

"I'll make sure you get the first batch."

"Oh for the love of... I don't care if you have a boyfriend." Hughes shook his head. "It's fine to like other guys. Who cares about what gender someone is, if you like them?" That was how he saw it, anyway. "And you obviously like the guy. I mean, you two were together last night and you kissed and all... it's fine." There really wasn't any reason for Ed to feel embarrassed about liking another guy.

"Of course, you realize this cunning plan could scare away any and all of Elysia's potential boyfriends... you know, I like that idea!" He took a swig of juice.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. You know what else you'd do well with making and trading? Cigarettes."

Ed blinked in confusion. Obviously Hughes had taken what he said the wrong way. @Of course it's alright to like other guys," he said indignantly. "But he's still not my boyfriend. Boyfriends are what girls have." He wanted to be very clear on that point. Kissing did not mean anything other than... well... kissing.

"Then she'll have to date someone very brave," he replied with a wide grin, finishing off the last of his food. He glanced over at where the food was, wondering if he should go and get more.

Cigarettes? "That's a bit more difficult," he said musingly. "I don't know what I could use to make them." He doubted that there was a stash of tobacco plants anywhere in the Hospital.

Hughes just snorted. "Ed, I hate to break it to you, but boys can have boyfriends, too." But he did know - or thought he knew, anyway - where Ed was coming from. "But I know, the terminology sucks and it sounds stupid." Hadn't he and Roy spent a whole damn shift trying to figure out the right term for what their own relationship was like?

"He better be brave. Only the bravest and the strongest for my Elysia." The conversation, as light hearted as it was, was making Hughes long for home. He wanted to see his daughter, hold her....

Soon enough, he promised himself. Soon enough.

"I don't know, but if you figure it out, you'd do good business."

Ed made a face. "It sounds like something out of a crappy romance novel," he replied petulantly. "With swooning women and... stuff." At least, that's what he assumed happened in those books. He didn't know what people saw in them, really.

"People really want weird stuff," he muttered. Personally, Ed wanted a weapon, possibly keys; anything useful for getting out of here and for keeping the monsters from getting their claws into him. Cigarettes and alcohol were low on the priority list. But if it meant he could use it to get more metal, information... that would be good.

"Oh no." Hughes shook his head. "No, in romance novels it's all... 'eternal beloved' and 'dearest of my heart' and stuff like that. They don't use plain terms like boyfriend." At least not in of the ones he'd flipped through.

"People want their vices and addictions," he pointed out. "And you know, you're here long enough, and you need... things." It was hard to explain. "You need the things that make you you, so you don't lose yourself."

Today... today, Alfons was certain that he'd get things settled with Edward Elric, one way or another. He needed to hear it straight from the other boy, as to what their relationship was going to be, and whether it had been all a big misunderstanding, or... something else.

So, armed with a healthy breakfast and plenty of juice, he slid into a chair and was relieved that Maes was also there. That would make things easier, he thought; the older man was reliable, and Alfons hadn't forgotten how Maes had worked so hard to make sure everything was all right.

The problem with his cunning planning to sit down and lay it all out and then demand an explanation from Edward? The fact that as soon as he gazed into those golden eyes, all of his objections and plans went right out the window. It was pathetic, but he never could stay upset at the blond for long.

In the end, all of his anger dissipated, and he simply breathed, "Good morning, Edward."

Ed raised one eyebrow at the lines Hughes spouted, not quite believing what he was hearing. "Please tell me you're making those up." How could anyone possibly write stuff like that?!

His eyes widened when he saw Alfons approaching, and for a moment, he really felt like making a run for it. He regretted what he'd said, but it was still difficult looking at someone who was so much like Al, even though he knew Al was here. He shifted uncomfortably on his seat, concentrating fiercely on his drink.

Ed tensed when the other boy sat down opposite him, forcing himself to stay still and not fidget.

He gave Alfons a slightly guilty look before staring back down at the table. "Morning, Alfons."

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