Books

It was quiet at Roy Mustang’s house. It was at least quiet until their little argument broke out. Roy Mustang had been reading a certain book about alchemy and the different aspects of it for the past several days. He had planned to conclude this evening with a little more reading while Indy would either fall asleep or read her own book.

But as he groped for his beloved book, he found that the table was empty.

Mustang stared at the wooden surface, and then sank through his knees to look under the table. Also there was no trace of his book. Roy straightened and his face creased in a frown. Indy was usually the messy one; he was almost compulsive tidy. There was no way he could have lost his book because he left it at some random spot, since he always placed the book he was currently reading on that table at exactly that spot.

The dark Alchemist started to search through the room methodically; he started around the table first and then broadened his field of search as a good scientist would do. But the results turned out into nothing and after half an hour looking in every hole in the room, Mustang stood still empty-handed.

Maybe it was in the kitchen. Although Mustang did not like to admit it, he did sometimes read during his cooking. This happened mostly when he had a fascinating book, but he couldn’t recall to have read during cooking this night. Still, it might not hurt to check it there as well.

As expected, however, the only books he found there were either recipe books or they belonged to Indy.

Roy’s mood had definitely turned sour by then. He hoped Indy would know where it was. “Indy? Indy, have you seen my book?”

“Hm,” the red-haired Alchemist replied absently from the bedroom.

“Indy?” Roy stood still in the doorway and stared at the book in Indy’s hands. “… What are you doing with my book?” he demanded icily.

“Hm?” The woman looked up from her book – no, his book. “Oh, I finished mine last night and this looked interesting. You can read one of mine if you want.” She smiled sweetly at him.

“But Indy, I just started reading that book. I haven’t finished it yet.”

“Oh, bother,” she replied with an indifferent shrug. “You can read it during work, when you’re slacking off again. You never do anything during work anyway. Now be silent, I can’t concentrate otherwise.”

“Indy –”

“Hush, Roy.”

That did it. No one had the right to hush him, especially not if that someone was called Indy Daffron and if she had his book. With two steps, he was near the redhead and he pulled the book out of her hands before she knew what he was up to.

“Ah… Roy~!!!”

“My book. You can read it after I’ve finished it.”

“But it was just getting interesting!”

“Too bad. Go read your own books.”

“But I’ve read them all already. Please, Roy?” Indy unleashed a series of charming little smiles, but Mustang turned his back to her and walked away.

“No. Read one again if you’ve finished them all, but I finish this one first.”

Things went down rapidly from that point on until he finally managed to persuade her that he would read it first. Neighbours shook their heads as they listened to the loud conversation next door, all wondering why the two Alchemists didn’t take the trouble to purchase every book twice in order to avoid such weekly arguments. Two Alchemists in one house, they agreed, was not a good idea unless they had every book twice.