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Ed closed the door to Hughes’ office, crossed to his desk and sat down in a chair across from him with a sigh. Hughes had that harried look about him as he sat behind piles of papers and his eyes kept shifting to the clock on the wall like they were up against a deadline. Since Ed’s interest in the affairs of state started and ended with whether or not Roy was breathing, though, there could be a deadline for all he knew.
“I don’t have a lot of time this morning.”
Ed nodded. “I’m running on the same schedule, but you need to know about this because if it goes much further we’re going to have to bring it to Roy.” Ed pulled out a stack of papers and set them on Hughes’ desk. “Angry letters.” He pulled out a smaller stack. “Vaguely threatening letters.” A handful of pages “Explicitly threatening letters—they’re getting home visits today.” And the last set, all in the same hand with the same key language. “And this. This is some serious nutjob shit.” They’d been trying for the last twenty-four hours to figure out who had sent it, where it’d come from and how much of a viable threat it might be.
Hughes paged through the letters, his frown deepening with each one. “I don’t want him to see these.”
“I don’t really want him to see them either, but he’s going to notice when he’s walking around with three times his normal guard. He’s got a lot on his mind, but not that much.”
“He’s got a meeting with the Emperor next week and he’s going to speak before Parliament in two days. I need him at his best and he won’t be if he’s worried about this. He’ll try to cancel and it will make him look weak.” But Hughes had that expression on his face that said he wasn’t really thinking about what he was saying, that he didn’t really agree with the words coming out of his mouth.
“These aren’t your run of the mill threats. Look at the language. It’s specific, threatening, and clearly insane.” Ed ran a hand over his face, trying not to picture Roy in the state the letters promised. “It might be best if he canceled, no matter what it looks like. I’d rather have him weak than dead.”
Hughes nodded. “I’ll reset his schedule so he can work from the manor for the rest of the day and see if I can get any leads on this.”
Ed stood as the door leading to the Prime Minister’s office opened and the man himself strolled in, his hands in his pockets and a self-satisfied grin on his face. “I’ve negotiated a treaty with a group of violent foreign nationals, signed a bill to provide aid for orphaned children, and posed for two brilliant photo ops. What have you done this morning?”
“Oh, you know us, napping in the sun and eating, mostly.” Ed rolled his eyes before tugging at the sleeve of Roy’s jacket. “Come on, we’re heading back to the Manor. Hughes is going to forward the important stuff to you in a little bit.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
Ed laughed, keeping his tone light and his eyes playful. “Your schedule has some wiggle room and I wanted to ravage you in private.”
Hughes waved a hand. “Go on. It’s a light day. There’s nothing you can’t handle from home. I’ll be by later.”
As they walked through the corridors, Ed hoped he seemed relaxed enough not to alert Roy to the dangers he could be facing. He scanned every step of the hallways, memorized every face they passed and it wasn’t until they were in the relative safety of Roy’s roadster that he could relax just a little. Even though the weather was warm, Ed kept the windows up and his hand on Roy’s arm throughout the ride, the press of his gun at his hip a comforting weight, even if he was still faster on the draw with his alchemy.
They made it back to the Manor without incident, and Ed wondered if any of the threats would come to fruition or if he would spend the next week waiting for the other shoe to drop until he exhausted himself and the rest of the guard staff as well. Roy chatted at him the whole time about things Ed either didn’t care about or people he didn’t know. Not that he didn’t appreciate it that Roy tried to involve him in matters of state, but he honestly didn’t care who the new ambassador to whereverthefuck was and why Roy was such a genius for orchestrating the appointment.
Roy led the way through the manor, accepting messages from one of his many personal secretaries, and only when the door closed behind them in Roy’s windowless office did he turn, all pretense of composure dropping away. “What’s wrong?”
“Hmmm?” If only he had Al’s wide-eyed innocence, this would be so much easier.
“You’re a terrible liar, Ed. Something’s up, enough to make you and Hughes want me in the safety of this house.”
Ed gave up the act and instead steered Roy to his desk. “Nothing for you to worry about. We want to monitor some stuff and it’s easier if we know where you are. So, sit in here, do your prime minister thing and I’ll do my bodyguard thing and everything will be fine.”
Roy took a seat behind his desk, looking brave and diplomatic and handsome. “Should I be worried?”
“Not yet.” He leaned in for a short kiss, just pressing his lips against Roy’s before straightening and heading for the door. “Don’t leave this room without me.”
“I can’t hide in the Manor forever.”
“No, but you can do it for a day.” Ed closed the door on Roy’s further protests and doubled the guard.
**
Ed spent most of the rest of his day on the phone, reading reports and checking in on Roy. Any hope that Roy might stay calm and mind his own business was blown by Ed’s obsessive checking, but the increasingly disturbing threats made it impossible for Ed to go more than an hour without laying eyes on him. Roy asked twice, pleaded three times and demanded as Head of State to be told what was going on. Only the sound-proofed walls of the office prevented everyone from hearing their screaming argument about Roy’s rights.
By noon, most of the executive staff was working out of the Manor, which made threatening them with death if they so much as thought of breathing a word of the situation to the Prime Minister that much easier. By dinner, Roy was on his last nerve, Ed has bid his own goodbye hours ago and no one knew how they were going to get through a single meal without it devolving into a fistfight.
“Can I have the salt?”
Roy scowled. “I don’t know. Do you think I’m appropriately guarded to pass you the salt? It might leave my right side open to attack from the biscuits.”
Ed wondered briefly if he offered to kill Roy himself if the threats would stop. “I don’t know. Do you think if you keep irritating the living hell out of me like this I won’t just—“ Hughes put a hand on Ed’s arm and only then did he realize he was standing and leaning over the table. He sat back down with a sigh and tried not to notice the look of hurt of Roy’s face. “I’m sorry. It’s been a trying day.”
“Did it ever occur to you if someone told me what was going on that it might make things better? Every conversation I had today took twice as long because everyone was terrified they might say something they shouldn’t.” Roy took a sip from his glass. “I don’t like being in the dark.”
“It’s just one more day. If we don’t know more by tomorrow, I’ll tell you everything.” He checked his watch and saw he was going to be late to a meeting with one of his informants. A few quick bites cleared most of his plate, even though he really wished he’d had the salt. It was unusual for the cooks to serve something so bland.
His brain stuttered to a stop as he ran back over his last thought and he swore. “Don’t eat anything else. Spit out what you have in your mouths.” He looked at Roy’s plate, relieved to see it mostly full; the uncomfortable atmosphere had killed most of their appetites. “Did anyone screen the wait staff this morning?” He stood, but had to place both of his hands flat on the table as a wave of dizziness washed over him.
“Ed?” Out of the corner of his eye, Ed saw Roy rise and then have to steady himself as well. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to need some doctors.” The room felt too hot and he pulled at the collar of his shirt where it felt suddenly tight against his throat. “Lock the Manor down. Shut down every entrance. No one leaves, set up road blocks.” He drew in a gasping breath; his lungs didn’t seem to be working. His legs felt weak and he dropped back to his chair. “Somebody get—“ but he lost his train of thought as he saw Roy fall back into his own chair, his face flushed and even from across the table Ed could see his pupils filling the color of his eyes. “Get—“ but his limbs were going numb, he couldn’t feel anything and his last sight was of Roy slipping off his chair.
**
“Brother, you have to stop fighting us.”
Hands held him down, pouring foul tasting things down his throat that made his stomach heave until it seemed like he’d spent his entire life throwing up. Ed swung out and his hand connected with something that felt like flesh and he heard a grunt of discomfort before the darkness swallowed him again.
**
“Al?”
“Brother. Are you awake this time?” Al stood from his chair and leaned over until his face filled Ed’s vision. “How do you feel?”
“Like shit.” Blinking was an effort and every breath made him aware of the pain radiating from his midsection. He felt as though he’d been punched in the gut for about a day. “Where’s Roy?”
“He’s in another room.” Al pushed Ed back against the mattress as he tried to rise. “He has plenty of guards and we’re watching everything very carefully. He needs his rest, so you can’t see him yet.” Al’s eyes slid away from him.
A chill that had nothing to do with his illness raced along Ed’s arms. “What aren’t you telling me? Is he, he’s not…” He couldn’t be. If Ed, who had eaten more than any of them, was all right, then Roy had to be fine.
“I wouldn’t lie to you, brother. He’s recovering, you just can’t see him right now. There were some,” he drew a slow breath, “complications. He had a bad reaction to the antidote but we’re monitoring him very closely and—“
“What’s wrong?” Ed reached out to grip Al’s arm, stunned at his own weakness.
“He’s temporarily, temporarily, blind.”
**
Roy’s eyes were open when Ed entered the room and he turned his head in Ed’s direction, but they never focused and Ed could tell Roy didn’t actually see him. “Ed?”
“Hey.” He crossed the last few steps to Roy’s bed, collapsing on the edge of the uncomfortable mattress. The short walk had used up all of his reserves. He took Roy’s hand and tried not to stare at Roy’s blank eyes.
“Al says it’s temporary.” He smiled and Ed had to swallow back tears. “He said it might be a good thing. They know not to use that medicine on me in the future. Could have saved my life.” When Ed couldn’t bring himself to speak, Roy patted his hand. “It could have been so much worse.” Still Ed could not speak. “Love?”
“It’s still pretty fucking bad.”
Roy ran his fingers up Ed’s arm until his hand wrapped around the back of Ed’s neck and pulled him close. Roy’s breath was warm against his ear, his hands bright points of heat breaking through the cold that Ed hadn’t been able to shake for days. “No one died. We’re all going to be okay and we caught the people who did this. It’s not that bad.”
“You can’t fucking see!” He dug his hands into the soft fabric of Roy’s robe, unmindful of the pain in his hand where his drip line pulled against his skin.
A clumsy pat at his shoulder did nothing to reassure him as Roy leaned back in his bed, pulling Ed with him. “It’s only temporary. Already I can see big dark blurs and big light blurs.”
“That’s great. You should use that for your next campaign slogan.” He closed his eyes, enveloping him in the same darkness that Roy was living in. He was so tired all the time, and the shit they were pumping into his veins to clear the poison left him feeling weak and nauseated. “I’m sorry.”
Roy continued to stroke his hair, his movements sure and calm and for a moment, Ed could believe they were simply lying in bed with the lights out. “Unless you hired them to poison us, you have nothing to apologize for. If you did hire them, we’re going to have to have a very different conversation.”
But Ed was not so interested in being swayed from his topic. “It’s my job to keep you safe.”
“I’m alive, aren’t I?”
“But at what cost?”
Roy leaned down and kissed him slowly before tucking Ed’s head against his shoulder. “I’m going to be fine. Al said so, you don’t think he’d lie to us, do you?”
“No.”
“All right then. Try and get some sleep. You won’t have given the hospital staff the slip for long and they’ll be looking for you soon.”
“How did you know?”
Roy’s laugh echoed through his chest and into Ed’s. “If they were ready to let you out of bed, you’d have had an escort here. Rest while you can. You’ll want to have all your faculties for Al’s scolding.”
“Ha. He doesn’t scare me.”
Roy pulled the thin hospital blanket up over them, banishing some of the cold still clinging to Ed’s limbs and settled them into a comfortable position that didn’t pull at their various tubes. “You keep telling yourself that.”
Ed’s response was lost to his weariness and the desperate hope for the first time in his life something was temporary.