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Things were much quieter now. For all the fame there weren't many people who even recognized him as the Fullmetal Alchemist. Not that anyone had expected he was the famous 'hero of the people' even when the title had made heads turn all that time ago. In all actuality, after disappearing for two years, a majority of the population still assumed him to be dead. No one thought anything of the quiet boy in the labs when he did work there until he was revealed by someone that recognized him. He kept to himself, didn’t seem one for socializing and spoke so infrequently some thought he might not talk at all. No one at the labs thought anything of the blond's personal life either, that is until the president himself stopped by, requesting a date for lunch.
And so it went. No one really thought anything of the boy, curled up in the train's farthest corner - knees to chest and looking like the most miserable person in the country. He sat as far away from anyone else as he could, watching sullenly as passengers boarded the car - casting withering glances at anyone that seemed to take an interest in him. It became a regular occurrence, this boy boarding the subway alone. He sometimes rode to the end of the track and back again - and that's when the rumor started. Just as no one at the lab knew who he was without explanation - the passengers came to know him only as “the sad boy on the subway”. He was small, young, a teenager probably, surely too young to be who they all suspected.
His clothes varied little and he rarely seemed to have a destination, and so the questions began. A number of people dismissed him as homeless, while even more countered that homeless people didn't ride the subway all day blasting music on their headphones to drown out the world. Maybe he was just depressed. Sometimes he'd get off the train or be seen with shopping bags and that attracted interest as well, people trying to guess what he could have possibly bought today or where he went to eat. Through rumors, questions, and whispers, Edward became famous again. Famous as the boy on the subway, with more fabricated backstories than he had years to experience them. Some people assumed he was exactly who he truly happened to be, others dismissed the resemblance as coincidence and even more honestly couldn’t tell what Edward Elric even looked like when asked.
One story, in particular, became everyone's favorite. Maybe he was the Fullmetal Alchemist, and he lost his brother and snapped. That's why he rides back and forth from start to end with no destination and doesn't need a job to support himself, he probably still had a lot of money saved up from his military funds. It was what myths and legends were made of. In fact, the story became so believable and was repeated so often, that had anyone told them it was mostly true, no one would have believed a word of it. Even the people that did one day witness the Fuhrer meet him at the station.
The teen grinned as Mustang wrapped an arm around his waist. "Did you have a good day, love?" Just like that, the blond transformed. Chatting about how busy he was all day and waving the one bag he did have as proof of his adventures. There was no trace of the miserable boy who rode the subway in silence, he was practically beaming at the older man, focused solely on Roy as if he was the only thing that mattered. His entire demeanor changed, whether just that happy to see him after a long day or putting up a front, no one could really say. "You know, one day you're going to have to tell me how you don't run out of places to go, with how often you go into town." Roy teased with a smirk. "Do you want to get something to eat before we go home, Ed?"
"Sure," The blond answered with an easy smile. "After all that running around - I'm starving."