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Chapter Text

Edward Elric was born February third, 1894, to parents Trisha Elric and Van Hohenheim. Both his parents love him very much but they quickly learned Edward was more than a little strange. 

For one, he was reading before he could walk. He would read anything that he could find crawling through the house for any time of stimulation for his mind. By the time he was able to walk, he had graduated from children's books and was reading his father’s textbooks. Hoeinheim laughed and said he was a chip off the old block. 

Another thing was that Ed didn’t like to stay in one place. He crawled around the house as soon as he could and he was running around the fields of Resembool the second he could hold his weight. His mom chuckled and said he took after his father.

Edward Elric doesn’t remember this though. His earliest memory is when he was five years old. His parents are talking in the kitchen and he’s hiding behind a wall. They’re whispering too quietly for him to hear but he knows his mommy’s upset. His parents stood from the table and went upstairs to their bedroom. They walked right past Ed and he stayed quiet, not wanting his mommy and daddy to be upset with him.

Ed went up to his bedroom and burrowed under the covers. He took out a flashlight and read his book.

Before long it was morning and Ed had stayed up all night. He heard his parents leaving their room and decided to follow them. Slowly Ed snuck down the stairs to where his parents were gathered right in front of the door.

“After last night,” Trisha was saying. She placed a hand on her stomach.

Hoenheim put his hand on top of hers. “I know,” he said. “But I have to go.”

“We’ll be waiting,” Trisha took his face in her hands. He leaned down and she kissed his cheek.

Ed took another step and the floor creaked. Trisha looked over and made a noise of surprise. She walked over to Ed. “What are you doing up?” 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Ed said.

“Aw, then you can help me prepare breakfast.”

Ed looked at his mom happily. “Yay! I love breakfast. Can we have stew?”

“For breakfast?”

Ed looked behind her and saw Hoeinheim. He looked at Ed. Then he turned his back and walked out the front door.

Yes, his first memory is his father turning his back on him and his mom.

Ed’s mom got sick a few weeks after. She threw up every morning. She couldn’t eat certain foods. Her stomach was swelling. 

Then she told Ed that she was pregnant. She explained to him that Ed was gonna have a little brother or sister. Ed was excited to care for someone like his mom did for him.

Ed told his best friend Winry when his mom let him go play. They talked about how fun it would be to have a baby around. Winry said she would read her parent’s books so she could be ready. Ed wanted to too, so they went inside and took all the books they could carry. They brought them outside and read them under the big tree on the hill.

In the fall after Ed’s sixth birthday, his mom took him to the Rockbells’ house. She said he was going to be able to meet his baby sibling soon.

Winry and Ed were told to stay outside the room. Trisha screamed a lot. Winry cried. Ed wouldn’t. He didn’t want his mom to worry about him crying. Ed decided that when his mom was in so much pain he didn't deserve to cry.

Soon though, Granny Pinako opened the door and told him he could come in. He walked in and noticed all of the blood. He climbed on the bed and sat next to his mom. Granny handed him the baby. “This is your brother,” she said. 

“His name is Alphonse,” his mom said. She was breathing heavily and was sickly pale.

“Mom?” Ed leaned down to his mother’s face.

“Edward, listen to me. I need you to promise me something. I need you to take care of your brother. Protect him. That’s your job.”

“Okay,” Ed said easily. He had already been planning on doing that. 

“No you have to promise,” his mother insisted.

“I promise Mom.”

Trisha smiled and lay down on the bed again. Her face smoothed over and her features relaxed.

“Mom?” Edward asked.

“Trisha!” Aunt Sarah screamed. Uncle Yuiry pulled him off the bed and pushed him out of the room. He was still holding baby Alphonse.

Trisha didn’t survive. Something went wrong after the birth and it killed her. 

Ed stood in front of her grave holding his baby brother. People were crying. Winry was crying. Ed wouldn’t cry. He couldn’t, he had to focus on caring for Al. Al was more important. 

“Edward,” Granny said.

Ed turned.

“Come home with us. We can raise you and Alphonse. Give you a new home. I’m sure Sarah and Yuiry would agree.”

“No,” Ed said. “I promised I would take care of him. So I will. He’s my baby brother and he won’t get taken from me.”

“Ed, you big dummy!” Winry shouted.

Ed ignored her and looked down at Alphonse. He was watching Ed with his big golden-green eyes. 

“Okay,” Granny said. “But I want you to live with me so I can teach you what to do with him. You’ve never been around a baby before.”

“Fine.”

Granny taught Ed everything. How to change Al’s diaper. How to heat the formula to feed him. While Winry went to school, Ed stayed home to learn how to raise his brother. When Al was napping Granny taught Ed how to cook, and the right way to clean. 

When Al was six months old, Granny decided that if Ed wanted to he could move back into his old house. But he had to promise to come once a day. During the time he spent alone, Ed took Al downstairs to Hoeinheim’s old study. Ed read all of the books and taught himself alchemy from them. He read them to Al too. 

When Al could start eating solids, Ed went to the store by himself with the money his mom left him. He bought fruits at a discounted price because the store owner pitied him. People donated diapers to him. 

However a few months after Al turned one and a half, Granny told Ed that he would need more solid foods. Like meat and veggies. Ed went to the store and found that he didn’t have enough money for the meat. So he spent what little money he did have on seeds. When he got home we went to his mom's old garden and started to prepare it to plant the seeds. Al helped.

Ed went into the basement and flipped through Hoeinheims books until he found what he was looking for. Then he took some spare junk and transmuted it into a hunting rifle.  He taught himself how to shoot and soon he was hunting in the nearby forests. Al liked the meat.

When Al was two, there were big storms in Resembool. Ed and Al watched with Granny and Winry as the men in the village tried to build a wall to keep the water out. It didn’t work. But a lady and a big man that looked a bit like a bear came. The lady clapped her hands together and placed them on the ground. A wall shot up. Ed knew that was alchemy. Al tugged on his sleeve.

“Big brother! That was alchemy!”

“Sure was Al! Do you wanna talk to her?”

“Yeah! You should learn from her!”

Ed took Al’s hand and led him down to where the woman was. 

“Hello,” Ed said carefully. 

The woman looked him up and down. “Do you need something?”

“Can you teach me alchemy please?” Ed asked.

“I don’t take on students. Go back to your parents.” 

“You should!” Al shouted. “Brother makes lots of stuff with alchemy. He reads all the hard books.”

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Mark the storekeeper walked up to them. “But these two don’t have parents.”

The woman’s face went slack. She turned around and sighed. “How am I supposed to say no to that?”

She took them in as students. Ed didn’t talk much at first. He didn’t talk to new people. But soon he warmed up to her. Her name was Izumi Curtis. Her husband runs a butcher shop in Dublith and she’s a housewife. She taught Ed alchemy and how to fight. Ed liked her. Al liked her. Ed especially liked how she didn’t live in Resembool. The town of Dublith was moderately sized and was vastly different from anything he was used to. He loved being able to go somewhere new.

When they returned to Resembool a year later Ed was more developed than an alchemist triple his age. Al had learned some too but he wasn’t as good. He was too little to understand the hard concepts that Ed clung to with ease.

They went to talk to Granny and Winry only to find out that her parents had died in the war. Al cried for Winry's sake. Ed didn't cry. He wouldn't cry.

The first night back Ed went to the basement to read more while Al was asleep. He picked up a book that he hadn’t read before and found something called human transmutation. It would bring back the dead. It had never been done successfully but Ed had been told he was a prodigy.  He read the steps and what he would need. It was complicated, and he knew he would have to study hard. But Ed also knew he could do it. He liked the challenge it offered.

Most of all Ed wanted to see his mom again. Ed loved Al, he did. But being with Izumi had taught Ed that he liked having someone else. Someone older. Ed was tired. And if Trisha was alive someone would be there to love Ed. Pinako was nice and he knew she loved him but it wasn’t the same. Not even close.

Ed studied every night he was able to after Al went to bed. A year later, when he was ten, and Al was four, he was ready to do the transmutation. 

Edward told Al that he had to stay with Granny that night because he needed to clean the house. Ed went down to the basement to get his mom back. 

Truth took his arm and leg as a toll for the horrid monster he turned his mother into.

Ed allowed himself forty-eight hours to wallow in self-pity before he asked Winry to make him automail.

Eight months later, Ed was walking around on legs made of steel and chrome with one goal in mind: to get a job. He had to pay back the Rockbells and provide for Al. 

Ed was cleaning up his house while Al was at school when a knock came on the door. He frowned. The only people who came by were Winry and Granny and they just walked right in. Ed walked up to the door and looked through the peephole. He stepped back in shock when he saw who was at the door. 

The military.

Had they found out about the taboo? Did they come to take Al away? Winry said that the military came to her to tell her about her parents. But Ed didn’t know anyone who would’ve been on the military’s radar.

The military man pounded on the door again. Ed schooled his expression and reached forward with his automail hand and opened the door.

“What do you want?” he snapped.

The man was tall and had dark hair and eyes. Ed didn’t know how to read military uniforms but the man held himself like he was used to being in a position of power. Behind him stood a woman with a stoic face and blonde hair cut real short. 

The man looked like he wasn’t expecting Ed to open the door. “Sorry kid,” he said, “but could I talk to your parents?” 

“Probably not from here.” Ed crossed his arms. He was wearing short sleeves and shorts in the summer heat and his automail was in full view. The man’s eyes lingered on it too long for Ed’s liking. “You’d think the military is used to seeing automail by now with all the wars.”

Ed prided himself on reading people and he caught the brief flash of guilt in both soldiers' eyes.  

“Can you get your parents?” The man said, his voice laced with barely suppressed annoyance.

“Nope,” Ed said, popping the p.

“Why not?” He nearly snapped.

Ed was getting annoyed. Here was this military man acting like Ed should be doing what he said just because of a couple of stripes.

“Go down the hill, turn right, and up the road until you come to a woman named Elric.” Ed slammed the door before the man could respond. He heard a muffled conversation between the man and the woman but eventually they left.

Ed was in the back of his house tending to the garden when the soldiers came back. He heard the man pounding on the door for a few minutes. If Ed wasn’t an alchemist he would be worried that the door would break.

Ed looked up when he felt eyes on him. The woman was standing there staring at him. Even though her expressions were the same Ed could feel the pity radiating off her. Ed knew he wouldn’t be able to pull the same shit with her that he did with the other one. Ed turned away from her and went back to the weeding.

He registered the pounding stopping and saw a second pair of mud-splattered boots approach. Ed steeled himself for a scolding from the man. “There was only one,” the man said instead.

Of course, Ed knew what he meant. There was only one grave. Ed went to grab the next weed with his automail but the approaching boots stopped him. 

“There's a rumor of a talented alchemist living around here. You know what happened to her husband, Edward Elric?”

Ed froze. He didn’t tell this man who he was. There’s no way that the man would know. He thinks…

Edward burst out laughing. He looked up at the man and saw he was receiving a shocked look. Ed stood up and held out his dirt-covered automail hand. “That’s me!”

The man took a step back in shock. “Our records say you’re 31!”

“Well, you’re only off by about twenty years. By the way, Trisha’s my mom.”

“You’re supposed to be a talented alchemist!”

Ed shrugged. He clapped his hands together and his flesh hand along its automail one, drawing it out to form a blade. 

That man’s eyes were wide. Then they narrowed. “Where’s your circle?”

Ed's golden eyes roamed the man. They caught the red stitching on his white gloves. He’d heard about that. Red on white. Flame Alchemy. Destruction during the Ishvalen genocide. Roy Mustang.

“Wouldn't you like to know, Flame boy?” Ed smirked at him, then continued. “I don’t need a circle. Once you get to a certain point in alchemy, you don’t need one anymore.”

“And you think you’re there?”

“No,” Ed said sarcastically. “You didn’t just see me transmute without a circle.”

“How would you feel about joining the military?” 

Ed glared at him. "Leave."

“What I mean is,” Mustang continued, “you have an impressive talent it could be beneficial for you. You wouldn’t have to be in combat at all. The pay is good, you’d have the rank of a major. You’d have unlimited access to the best research materials around the country.”

“Why do you want an eleven-year-old cripple in the military?“

“To raise me through the ranks.”

Of course. typical military bastards. But, he did need a job, and it's not like the townsfolk would pay him the money he needed. “I have to think about it,” Ed said quietly.

“We’ll be back this time tomorrow,” Mustang said. He turned around. “Let’s go, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, Sir,” the woman said.

Ed thought about what he should do. To him, it seemed like a no-brainer. He’d get money to pay back his debt to the Rockbells and to support Al. But then again, he’d be separated from Al. He would be going to Central City. But he had to. To provide for Alphonse.

The transmutation.

Ed winced at his internal dialogue. He didn’t know how he would keep it secret. It would be hard, close to impossible. If word got out to the military about how talented an alchemist Ed is in the small town of Resembool, how would word or the transmutation not get out in the military? He could tell Mustang, but how could he trust the man? He could blackmail him. Ed had caught the circle on his hand. If he used the books in the basement, he might be able to figure out the circle and use it to keep Mustang quiet. 

Ed took a deep breath. He knew what his choice was, but now he had to talk to Winry and Granny about it. Then Al.

Granny was against it. She’s always hated the military. Winry cried. She didn't want to see Ed go and get himself hurt. Ed convinced them anyway.

The next day when Mustang and his lieutenant came back, Ed had his answer ready. He told them that he would become a state alchemist. On one condition: they had to keep his secret. When they asked, he explained to them the reason for his prosthetic limbs. They were shocked but both agreed. Ed didn’t even have to blackmail Mustang. 

There were formal introductions: Mustang was actually a lieutenant colonel and the lieutenant with him was Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. They told Ed that the examination was in a few days so he should leave with them. They gave him time to pack his belongings and talk to the Rockbells.

Ed went and explained it to Al. It took an hour and promises to call and write every day, but Al finally let him go. Al cried. Ed doesn’t let himself because dammit he’s the older brother and Al doesn’t need to see him cry.

Ed got on the train. He went to Central and passed the exam easily. He went back to Resembool only to get more of his stuff. Al cries again when they see each other. Winry yells at him not to destroy her automail.

Ed’s given the title of Fullmetal Alchemist. He doesn’t care. As soon as possible he sets it up so that his pension is split, half between savings and the Rockbells. He tells them that some of the money is so they can buy Al things with Ed’s money. He doesn’t take no for an answer.

Then Ed’s first day in the military arrived. 

Something else? Edward didn’t tell anyone about Alphonse. He’s sure this won’t be a problem.

Chapter Text

First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye walked behind the newly promoted Colonel Mustang and Edward Elric, the newest state alchemist, and the reason for both her and the colonel’s promotions.

So far she had seen him being quiet and reserved, but not shy in any way. She figured he carried himself in a persona, suppressing his real feelings for something or someone, a feeling Riza knew all too well. It came with its own set of challenges though. Ed often looked at the colonel for guidance, something Riza knew he didn’t want. She might be able to guess where it was from, if only because she had the exact feelings and mannerisms growing up. 

They had tried to help set up the alchemist in the military dorms but he refused their help and claimed he’d “figure it out”. Riza doubted that, but she didn’t want to intrude into the boy’s life more than they already have. She would imagine that being alone since he was a child would give him quite the independent streak.

Another thing? He was still a boy, just shy of eleven years old. Riza held some disdain for the colonel for bringing him into the military, even if Edward made it clear he was just in it for the money.

“Alright Fullmetal,” the colonel was saying. “We’ll introduce you to the team then start your training.”

“Training? What for?”

“Military etiquette. You need to learn how to do things such as read rank, fill out forms correctly, how you respond when people salute you, and salute those higher ranked than you. You may be a child but you are a major now and you are expected to act like it.”

“I’m not a child,” Edward said.

“Well you certainly look like one and we can’t have you acting like one either.”

“I’m not a child,” Edward repeated, quieter this time. 

Riza felt her chest swell with pity. Clearly, after going through all that Edward has, he didn’t see himself as a child. The last time he did was probably before his mom passed away.

They arrived at the office. Riza opened the door for them and let them in ahead of her. She heard the occupants of the office quiet at the door. The men knew that they were getting a new alchemist but they didn't know anything else.

“Men,” the colonel started. “This is the Fullmetal alchemist, Major Edward Elric. Fullmetal, this is my team. Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda. Warrant Officer Vato Falman, and Master Sergeant Kain Fuery.”

Havoc was the first to speak. “That kid is the new major?”

“I’m not a kid,” Edward snapped.

“Sorry Sir,” Havoc said.

Edward’s face scrunched up in distaste. “Truth, don’t call me that.”

“So what should we call you,” Fuery carefully asked.

“Just Ed is fine. I’m probably not gonna act like a major so you don’t need to treat me like one.” Riza felt the colonel roll his eyes. So much for that talk earlier.

“Oh, okay,” Fuery said but he still looked uneasy. Riza knew where he was coming from. A kid less than five feet tall being introduced as a major and then loudly claiming he wouldn’t act like one had to be unsettling at the very least.

“Fullmetal, we have some things to discuss in my office.” The colonel walked into the inner office and Edward followed.

When the door was closed there were about five seconds of silence before Havoc spoke.

“What the hell?”

“What is the colonel thinking?” Breda asked.

“He’s a kid. He can’t be more than twelve years old,” Havoc said.

“He’s eleven,” Riza answered. 

“Shit Hawkeye! Is that even legal?”

“Technically, while there is an age limit of seventeen to become a cadet to go to the academy, there is no age limit for state alchemists,” Falman supplied.

“His parents are okay with this?” Fuery looked at Hawkeye.

“He’s an orphan. His mom passed away when he was six.”

She was met with stunned silence.

“Guess it makes sense,” Havoc muttered. “What parent would let their kid join the military?”

The door to the inner office opened and the colonel and Edward stepped out. 

“Alright men,” the colonel started. “I’d like you to help Fullmetal get acclimated to being in the military. Falman, you’ll help me with teaching him reports and general knowledge of the military, Fuery, you’ll be teaching him codes and basic radio operations. Breda, show him around HQ and Havoc will be teaching him at least basic combat. Oh, and Hawkeye will be teaching him to shoot.”

“But I already-“ Edward tried to say.

“Understand men?” The colonel said over him.

“Sir!” They responded. 

Before they could start with their tasks the door burst open. “Hey, Roy!” Lieutenant Colonel Hughes walked in the door. “Heard you got yourself a new alchemist!” He stopped and looked around the room. His eyes fell on Edward. Edward met Hughes in a challenge. Hughes’ eyes widened and he looked to the colonel, silently telling him they were going to talk.

“Fullmetal, this is Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. Hughes, this is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal alchemist. Hughes, Hawkeye, let's talk in my office.”

“Yes Sir,” Riza said. 

Hughes nodded and both he and Riza went into the inner office. 

“So,” Hughes said. “He’s a kid.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that.” Mustang sat behind his desk.

Hughes turned to Hawkeye. “What the hell?”

Riza gave him the story of their finding of Edward. By the time she was finished, Hughes had his chin balanced on his hands and the light caught his glasses, hiding his eyes. 

“That’s not all,” the colonel continued. “He told us that he did human transmutation. He lost his right arm and left leg in the process.”

Hughes gasped. He looked between Riza and the colonel as if they were playing a prank on him. When he realized how serious they were he sat down and put his head in his hands. “How old is he?”

“Eleven,” Riza said for what felt like the millionth time.

Hughes turned to the colonel. “What is wrong with you! He is a boy and you brought him to be a dog of the military! Seriously! You doomed that kid for life Roy! He’s already packed full of trauma as is hell, he was willing to do the ultimate alchemist taboo! But then you decided to take that child and offer him a place in the military! Where he will be asked and ordered to kill!”

“I stand by what I did. You didn’t see him, Hughes. When I offered him the job he was desperate. There was a look in his eyes that said he does just about anything for money. He chose this Hughes, and if hadn’t come knocking on his door then he would’ve found another way to get himself into the military. Maybe another batshit colonel or general would have come along and decided not to give him a choice."

“We can’t protect him,” Riza said quietly. “But we can help him.”

Hughes looked up at her. “You think you can?”

“We will.”

Hughes stood up. “Fine, but I’m not letting you do this alone. I’m helping and that’s final. And not just because Gracia would kill me if I left that boy to you two trainwrecks.”

“Thank you, Hughes. That means a lot.” The colonel stood up. Hughes pushed open the door. Riza followed them out and stepped into the outer office.

Edward was sitting on the couch, sending Hughes a death glare. He had a book next to him that he had been reading. The rest of the men were either watching them guiltily or averting their eyes. 

“What happened?” The colonel stood next to Riza.

The team looked at each other before Breda spoke up. “We heard Lieutenant Colonel Hughes shouting sir.”

Riza’s eyes widened. Hughes was shouting at the colonel about what Edward did and now everyone knew. She looked at the colonel and saw that he had put the dots together as well.

The colonel looked at Edward with a neutral expression. Except it wasn't, not to Riza. He immediately felt guilty for this. 

He turned away and to the men in the room. “None you, you are to speak about what you just heard to anyone outside of this room. If word gets out I will personally make sure whoever talked faces repercussions.”

Edward changed his gaze to the colonel and it turned into one of suspicion.  

“Understood Sir!” Everyone in the room responded. Edward turned to glare at each of them in turn then he went back to his book. Riza read the cover as Military etiquette. 

“I should get back,” Hughes said. He left the room.

The rest of the day the colonel and Falman taught Edward everything he would need to know. Edward absorbed the information like a sponge. He was a fast learner and neither instructor needed to repeat himself. 

At the end of the day, Riza offered Edward a ride home but he declined, saying he would rather explore the city. Riza told him to be safe, and the blond left with pink-tinged ears.

Jean looked up from his work and across his desk where Elric was reading. Apparently, he had finished all the work the colonel had given him. The colonel and Hawkeye were talking with Grumman about something (probably Elric) and were out of the office until further notice. 

Jean filed his last document and looked at Breda. They both nodded. “Hey Chief,” Breda started. “How about that tour the colonel ordered since you’re done.”

“We should all go, stretch out our legs,” Jean added.

Edward looked up from his book and between Jean and Breda. “I can figure it out myself.”

“Probably,” Breda said. “But the colonel ordered it so I do have to show you around.”

The kid sighed and closed his book. “Fine,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”

“We should all go!” Fuery said. He had no clue what Jean and Breda were planning but like always, he was a quick study. “It’ll be a good break.”

The kid stood up. “'M Not gonna stop ya.”

Everyone led him out the door, him and Breda in the lead. They walked around the building and showed the kid everything he needed to see. Just as planned they finished with the training grounds.

“Since we’re here, let's start that combat training the colonel was talking about.”

“Have fun with that.” The kid turned around. “'M Going back to the office.”

“Oh no, you don’t.” Jean stepped in his path. “This is another one of those, 'the colonel said.'"

Elric sighed heavily. Around them were other sparring pairs. Jean led the kid to a relatively empty area by the wall. Jean took off his jacket and put it by where Breda, Falman, and Fuery were watching.

“Okay,” Jean started. “How much fighting experience do you have?”

“Some.” The kid took off his flashy red jacket and deposited it by the wall. He was wearing a long-sleeved black leather coat and white gloves under it. In late spring?

Jean blinked in surprise. He wouldn’t have guessed it by looking at him. “Alright, so I’m gonna attack you. Try to block me.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

Jean took a step forward and swung his fist at the kid without much force behind it.  He sidestepped and watched Jean miss.

“You’re holding back,” he said matter-of-factly. “How come?”

“I don’t want to hurt you by accident. This is just sparring.”

The kid frowned. “If you don’t fight for real in practice, how do you expect to be able to fight for real when it comes to your life?”

Jean blinked at him. “Are you saying you don’t want me to hold back?”

“Well if you’re supposed to be training me you're not doing a very good job.”

Jean looked over to the side at the others. They all shrugged at him and Breda nodded him along. If the kid wanted one of the best hand-to-hand combatants in Central Command to attack him in full force. Let it be on his head. 

“If you’re sure.” Jean took a fighting stance. “You can’t use alchemy.”

“I don’t need alchemy to kick your ass.” The kid got into a stance of his own. 

Jean thought this kid was being cocky. Oh well, it wouldn’t last long. 

“Whenever you’re ready,” he prompted.

Jean stepped forward and went for the kid’s right arm. He grabbed it and moved his leg to kick his legs out under him. When he looked down to do so, the arm that was holding Elric's right arm was jerked around. He looked up in surprise but got his feet swept out from under him. He would’ve fallen flat on his back if the kid hadn’t still been holding his arm. The kid threw Jean over his shoulder. Jean hit his back on the ground and grunted. 

Jean looked up at the kid with an open mouth.

“I thought you weren’t holding back?”

Breda started laughing from the side. “He wasn’t!” 

Jean got up again and tried to grab the kid again but all he ended up with was a foot to the face. He fell on his back again. 

“That,” the kid said, “was me holding back.”

“How come?” Another voice joined in. Jean turned to see the colonel and Hawkeye standing over him.

“Didn’t think I should break his face,” the kid shrugged.

“And you’d be right. I can’t have Havoc slacking off in the hospital.” Mustang offered him a hand up.

“You slack off more than I do Sir.” Jean took his hand.

“Now that we’ve established that Edward can kick Havoc on his ass, we should probably take him to the shooting range,” Hawkeye said.

Edward sighed. “Do we have to?”

“Knowing how to shoot is part of being a soldier.”

The group followed Edward and Hawkeye. 

“Hey Chief,” Havoc said. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

“My alchemy teacher. She said alchemy takes as much strain on the mind as it does on the body.”

“Mine said the same,” the colonel said. “Well he put it much less eloquently but it means the same.”

“So when did you learn alchemy?” Havoc asked again.

“Let’s see, I grew up reading alchemy books, and taught myself some, but I started studying with a teacher when I was eight.”

“Damn,” Breda said. “Isn’t that a little early?”

“Eh, the only other books we had in my house were slow-burn smut, and they’re inappropriate for toddlers. At least that's what Granny said.” 

Havoc couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not. 

“If I had read those maybe I would’ve ended up a womanizer military man, but hey good thing I chose the one that has a chance at success.” 

The team did their best to hide their smirks at the dig.

“Was that an attempted dig at me?” The colonel asked.

“No. It was a dig at you. Keep up, Colonel.”

Breda snorted and Jean chortled.

“Y’know, you can’t talk like that when other people are around. They might get the idea that you’re insubordinate.”

“Well, they wouldn’t be wrong.” 

Before the colonel could respond Hawkeye pushed open a door to the outside. The roof was covered in netting. A lone soldier was practicing his shooting on one side. 

“This is the shooting range,” Hawkeye said. She put her hand on Edwards' left shoulder and walked him down. The colonel hung back with the rest of the team and let Hawkeye take the lead with Edward.

“Alright Edward, take out your gun,” Hawkeye said.

Edward took out the gun he was issued. 

“This is a .22 caliber pistol. It's a standard military issue. The most important thing to know about shooting is that when you have this gun in your hand you are responsible for the death it causes. Don’t ever look away from your targets. Don’t forget them. They sure as hell won’t forget you.” 

She waited until Edward nodded to continue. He was looking at the gun in complete seriousness.

Hawkeye pointed to the different parts of the gun and explained their purpose and function to Edward. Soon enough, she told him to shoot.  

“Do you want to eat coverings?” 

“No thanks.”

“Step up to the target, take aim, and fire when I tell you to.”

Edward did as he was told. He aimed his gun and clicked the safety off. 

“Fire!”

Edward fired three shots. They each hit the center of the target. Havoc felt his jaw drop.

“You’ve done this before,” Hawkeye stated.

“Sure have.” 

“You let me go through how to use a gun when you already knew?”

“I’m my defense, mine was a hunting rifle I made with alchemy when I was seven.”

“You’ve been shooting since you were seven?” Havoc said without thinking.

“Gotta eat somehow. I was only left so much money, y’know?”

“Right,” Hawkeye said. “Again.”

Edward aimed at the target. 

“Fire!”

Chapter Text

Maes Hughes knew he had royally fucked up when he faced down that kid's glare. Golden eyes burned into him and made Mase feel guilty even now, a week later.

He had tried to talk to the kid, but every time, he was just blown off. Which, he thought he deserved.

Maes stood up from his desk and walked out of Central Command. He needed a change of pace that wasn’t his office and his endless pile of cases. 

He was just about to cross the street to his favorite deli when he heard a sniffle. Maes stopped and looked around. He saw a golden-haired little boy walking. He was crying and his hands were rubbing furiously at his eyes.

The boy walked right into Maes’ leg. He stumbled back and looked up. His eyes grew wide. Maes was used to this, most kids were scared of the military.

What he wasn’t used to, however, was a smile of relief breaking out on their faces. Like the kid was doing right now.

“You’re from the military!” His voice was thick from his tears, but high-pitched and cheery nonetheless.

Maes kneeled and looked the boy in the eye. “Sure am. Are you a lost little guy?”

He sniffled and nodded. “I was supposed to go to Dublith to see my teacher, but I took the wrong train at the station when I had to switch and the announcer said we were in Central. So I started to look for Big Brother, ‘cause he lives here now, but I got lost.” He started crying harder.

“Hey, kiddo. Hey shh. It’s alright. I can help you find your brother.”

The kid looked at him with big golden-green eyes. “You can? How?”

“You see, my name is Maes Hughes. My job in the military is to help lost kids like you.”

“Prove it.”

Maes blinked in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“Brother says lots of people hurt kids in Central. How do I know you won’t take me away?”

This was one smart kid, Maes realized. He’s done this a dozen times before and not once had a kid asked him to prove himself. Maes took out his wallet. He showed his military ID to the kid. “Here. This is my identification card. Now, do you believe me?”

The kid stared at the card. He nodded. “You’re okay.” He said.

“Good. Now can you tell me your name?”

The kid shook his head again. “Big Brother says not to tell the military my name. He says they could hurt me.”

“O-oh.” Now Maes was more than a little unsettled. What was with this kid? “Do you have a nickname?”

“Al.”

“Okay, then Al. Do you know how to get in contact with your brother?”

“Uh-huh. Brother made me memorize a phone number I could call in emergencies. but only emergencies.”

“That’s good. So let’s go to my office and you can call your brother to come to pick you up.”

“Okay.”

Al didn’t talk much on the walk to the command building. He stopped crying but he kept glancing at Maes suspiciously. Maes didn't think a kid could make him this unsettled. 

When they got to the office Maes had Al sit on the couch and he went to the phone.

“Alright, Al. Can you tell me the number?”

Al recited the ten digits. 

Maes did a double-take. He knew those numbers. They were the same ones he used to call Roy’s office phone to bug him and brag about his beautiful wife and daughter. and on occasion talk about work.

“I think I misheard you,” Maes said. “Can you say that again?”

Al said the same digits. The ones that called Roy’s office.

“Are you sure that’s how to reach your brother?”

“Mhm. I’m sure.”

“Okay.” Hughes dialed the number. He's been wrong before.

It picked up after the third ring.

“This is Colonel Mustang’s office. Major Elric speaking.”

Hughes blinked in surprise. He was expecting Roy, or at the very least Hawkeye. How had Major Elric gotten to the phone where none of the others could? 

“Hello? Anyone there?”

“Major Elric? This is Lieutenant Colonel Hughes.”

“Oh,” he said flatly. “The colonel's not here.”

“I have a kid in my office,” Maes blurted, sensing the major was about to hang up. “He gave me this number and said he was looking for his brother.”

Elric hung up the phone. Maes blinked and stared at the receiver in his hand. He gently placed it on the cradle. 

“Sorry Al,” Maes said to the kid. “I think it was the wrong number after all. Don’t worry though we can-“

The door to his office was thrown open. There stood Major Elric, breathing heavily. 

“Big Brother!” Al called. He ran to the Major.

“Alphonse!” The kid dropped to his knees to hug Al. “Do you know how worried I was?”

“Brother I…” Al broke off into fast rambling. The big words were gone for childish babbling. Maes lost track of what he was saying but the major was following along just fine.

“Oh, Truth. Oh, Alphonse.” The Major was stroking his little brother's hair. 

“‘M Sorry Eddie.”

“I’m not mad Al. You did the right thing. I’m glad you remembered the number. But Alphonse, why did you want to see Teacher?”

“I missed her. It’s been over a year since we’ve seen her again.”

“Do Winry and Granny know you went to see her?”

“Mhm. They said to call when I switched trains and I got there.”

“Okay, we’ll call them now. Then we can get you on a train back to Resembool.”

“But Eddie! I wanna stay with you!”

“Al, we’ve talked about this. Central is too dangerous and so is being a state alchemist.”

“I know. Bad guys could hurt me to hurt you.”

The unwillingness to share his name suddenly made a lot more sense to Maes, as did the suspicion. 

“And there are dangerous people in general. Central isn’t like home or Dublith.”

“Or South City?”

“Or South City. Especially when Teacher isn’t there to protect you.”

“Do I have to go home?”

“Al I want to keep you safe. And living a normal life.”

“I know,” Al pouted. 

“C’mon. Let’s call the house.”

The major stood up and picked up Al with him. He balanced Al on his hip as he walked over to Hughes’ desk.

“Mind if we use your phone?” 

“Go ahead.” Maes figured that questions were best saved for later.

The major used his free hand to dial. He picked up the receiver and held it so that he and Al could both hear.

“Hey, Winry. It’s Ed. I’m fine. No, they didn’t kick me out! The automail’s fine. Listen Al mixed up trains. No, he’s fine. He ended up in Central by mistake. He found my boss’s friend by accident and they called me through my boss’s phone.”

“Hi, Winry!” Al said. “I’m okay!”

“Yeah, he’s going home. No, to Resembool. I’ll get him on the train that goes straight there. No, I can't leave without permission from my boss. He’s already gonna be pissed that I’m not where I’m supposed to be right now.”

Maes started flipping through the train schedules. He found the one which went through the East and it did stop in a place called Resembool. It only came around once every three days. Maes’ breath caught when he saw when it would be leaving. And he checked the time.

He stood up. “Your train leaves in twenty minutes!” 

The major and Al both looked at him. 

“Aw Truth,” Elric cursed. 

Maes grabbed his keys. “I’ll drive you.”

They ran out of the building and the major followed Maes to his car. The major and his brother both jumped into the backseat and Maes sped off. At the speed limit, the station was twenty minutes away. 

Maes sped along the road. He went well above the speed limit to get to the station in record time. Gracia would disapprove of this heavily but he had to get there for these kids.

He pulled into the station parking lot and his brakes screamed. Al and the major got out of the car.

“Thanks for everything, Mr. Hughes!” Al called. 

“No problem. Stay safe Al!”

Al closed the door leaving Maes alone.

Ten minutes later, the Major walked out of the station alone, looking rather lonely. He opened the front door of Maes’ car and got it. Maes pulled out, of the station, going at a much more reasonable speed.

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

Maes glanced over at the kid. “Hear what?”

“I’m sure you’ve got questions. Out with ‘em.”

“Okay. Did he get on the train safely?”

The kid stared at him, surprised. “Yeah? He’s okay”

“Good I’m glad. He’s a good kid.”

The Major smiled softly. “The best damn kid in the whole world.”

“You did a good job raising him.”

“How’d you know?”

“Roy told me your mom died when you were six.”

“Yup. I did raise him. I love him more than anything. I’d do anything for him. Even become a dog of the military.”

“How come you joined?”

“I needed the money for Al. I’m good at alchemy and I was looking for a job anyway when Mustang came recruiting.”

“I see.”

“I send them money when I get paid. For my automail bills and Al. Though officially it’s going to the Rockbells, my mechanics, and close family friends. I adopted him too. Once I became a major.”

“I take it Roy doesn’t know?”

“No. And it’s gonna stay that way.” 

Maes parked the car in the parking lot. 

“Lieutenant Colonel? Can you swear to keep it a secret? About Al I mean? And everything I’ve told you?”

“Of course, Major. But you don’t have to tack on the lieutenant colonel.”

“Okay. Then you can call me Edward. Or Ed. Ed got out of the car and looked around the parking lot. “Oh, Truth.”

Maes looked around to see Roy walking towards them from his car. 

“I'm in so much trouble,” Ed muttered.

Maes turned off the car and got out. He stood next to Ed as Roy came up and started lecturing him about leaving his post. Ed was supposed to be on standby for the mission they were going through, and when they needed Ed, he wasn’t there.

Maes knew Edward wasn’t a normal kid and he led an even less normal life. But he now knew that he hadn’t been a kid since he was six years old. 

But as Maes watches Ed blow off Roy and fire at him with comebacks, he realized that he didn’t have to be normal. He was doing whatever he could for his family and that was something Maes could not only understand, but respect.

Chapter Text

Roy Mustang swore to himself he would not get attached to the Fullmetal Alchemist. It was common sense not to. Fullmetal would already have dozens of targets on his back from people in the military for just being a kid. Roy wanted to keep from adding another one. So to protect himself and Fullmetal, he assumed a persona of an uncaring commanding officer.

That didn’t mean that it worked. 

Roy took time out of his busy day of procrastinating to ensure Fullmetal was doing what he was supposed to, and that he wasn’t confused about the military procedures. Roy also decided to keep the door to his inner office open to watch Fullmetal work. If his team figured it out, they didn’t say anything. Riza shot him a look or two every so often but those were more telling him to stop being such an idiot about this, which he would not be doing thank you very much.

But Roy felt it was hard to get a full understanding of Fullmetal. Every time he thought he got a handle on who this kid was, he did something shocking. Even if Fullmetal didn’t realize that what he was saying or doing was questionable at best. Hughes had to take Roy out drinking after he had found out the blond had been hunting for his food since he was seven.

Roy often didn’t know how to react in situations like those. Like the time he found out about Fullmetal’s education.

Fullmetal had just completed his third mission report. Roy could understand why his writing was illegible. He was right dominant but he had to write with his left because of his automail, and Roy was sympathetic.

But what he couldn’t stand was the amount of misspelled words and grammar mistakes. Roy didn’t even know what Fullmetal was trying to say, much less read the report word for word. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Fullmetal, come here for a moment.”

He came and stood in front of Roy’s desk. 

Roy handed him back the report. “Read this for me.”

Fullmetal took the report with a suspicious look at Roy. He glanced down at the paper and started to read. “I arrived in Fisk at eight twenty at night and first went to the hotel the military had provided for me. The woman at the desk as well as the others in the area were looking at me with disdain, which I ignored.”

“Stop there. I can see how you could read that, but to me it was impossible. Your grammar and spelling are atrocious. Fullmetal let me ask you something.”

“Okay?”

“What year did you stop your schooling?”

“When I was six.”

Roy blinked at him. Six years old…when his mom died. Roy resisted the urge to slam his head on his desk at his sheer stupidity. “Oh. I see.”

“Um, I can try to fix the spelling on it if you want. Can’t guarantee it’ll be much better though.”

“That’s not what I meant. Do you want help getting better at spelling and grammar?”

Fullmetal shrugged. “I don’t care. It seems to be your problem.”

Roy tried not to get annoyed. “Fine. I’ll be helping you with your reports, starting with this one, until you have minimal errors.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks. I guess.” He pulled up a chair. 

Mustang coached Fullmetal through the words and answered any questions he had. Fullmetal was a fast learner and picked up the information quickly. Roy never had to repeat himself. 

He also knew most of the grammar structures already. Roy pointed this out to him.

“I pick it from the papers and books I read. I learn more words from there too, but they’re all about alchemy and most of that stuff doesn’t come up in a water supply inspection.”

Roy saw this later in the report when Fullmetal talked about the elements in the water he was able to identify.

Roy realized something about the report and the mission he had given Fullmetal didn’t add up.

“Hang on, I sent you there to check the water. Why did you look at the pipes too?”

“I checked the water source and the water coming out of people’s taps and the water from the taps had more toxic metals than it did in the water source. Something was wrong there so I used alchemy to trace the added toxic metals to the source.”

“And that worked?”

“Mhm. There was a trail of them and it was in the pipes that were being used. I looked into it even further and found that the pipes were poorly made with cheap metals on purpose by the company. They sold them at a higher price and because of the contracts they had made and some other illegal connections all of the issues were swept under the rug.”

“How did they react when you exposed them?”

“Eh. They sent some nutcases after me. Destroyed the hotel. But don’t worry, I used alchemy to fix it and nobody was hurt. The bastard shot at me though.”

“He shot you!"

“At me. I dodged.”

“Then what happened?”

“Local MPs came. Got mad at me for wrecking the hotel. Threatened to throw me in jail. Then I told them who I was and they laughed in my face. Then I showed them the watch and one of them said he’d heard about me. They took me to their boss who took me to his boss and so on until I met this colonel stationed there. Warner or something. He didn’t believe me even with the watch so I threatened him with calling you. He got pretty scared of that. What’d you do to him? Anyway, I gave him my findings and he got really mad at me. Told me it was all speculation and I should leave his city.

“Took all of five seconds to realize he was running the whole toxic metals operation. I said so and he attacked. I alchemized him to the floor. Then I went out and told the city the truth. They didn’t like that so I yelled at them 'til they listened. Then I fixed the pipes, fixed the water that had its toxic metals in it, and came back here.”

Roy stared at him in shock. Fullmetal had uncovered a fraud that known members of the military were participating in, someone had tried to assassinate him as a result, then he went to the man stationed at the head of the city, only to find out he was at the center of the fraud. “You were only there for three days,” was all he could say.

“Crazy right? Anyway, I fixed the problem but when I left people were kinda mad at the military. I’m kinda surprised you hadn’t heard about it already.”

The door to Roy's office burst open. They both looked up. Maes walked in holding a newspaper in one hand and a book in the other.

Roy groaned. “What is it now Hughes?”

“Hey, Roy! Good to see you too! Hey Ed!”

“Hullo Hughes.”

“Saw you in the paper. You made quite the splash in Fisk.” Hughes held up the newspaper.

Roy snatched it from him. Fullmetal was the cover story. There was a picture of angry citizens flooding the streets in front of the local military building.

Roy skimmed the article. It was from a reporter who had been there. The report gathered information from all available sources, everything from eyewitnesses to military personnel.

“You didn’t know?” Hughes raised an eyebrow.

“No, I don’t know. This is my first time hearing it.”

“Read the last paragraph.”

Roy went to the last paragraph. He read: 

But what fated this sudden exposure? It was none other than the newest military dog. The Fullmetal alchemist. Child alchemy prodigy. Edward Elric. He has many names but now, the public has given him another. The People’s Alchemist. Just like the Hero of Ishval, the people have been given another title. Except for this time, the Fullmetal Alchemist can be expected to live up to his name. For a full expose on The Fullmetal Alchemist see pg. 4. 

Roy folded the paper and set it aside. “Was that necessary?”

“I’m not so much as concerned about the press taking an unwarranted dig at you as much as they’ve already given Ed a title.”

Roy nodded. “I know. 'Can be expected to live up to his name.' That’s bullshit.”

“Is that ancient Xerxesian?”

Roy turned. He had forgotten Fullmetal was in the room with them. But he seemed uncaring towards their conversation, only interested in the book Hughes was holding.

“What? Oh, you mean the book. It’s evidence in a case but nobody can understand it. I took it to translations and they didn’t know what to do with it. I thought about asking Falman since I’m here, otherwise, we have to ship it to an expert out west.”

“Can I read it?” Fullmetal was looking at him with round golden eyes.

“Did you say Xerxesian?” Roy interjected.

“Yeah. Can I read it?”

“That’s a dead civilization!” Roy exclaimed.

“You don’t say. But can I read it?” Fullmetal was growing impatient at the lack of an answer. 

“Sure.” Hughes handed him the book. “If you tell me what it says.”

“Uh-huh.” Fullmetal’s golden eyes were trained on the book. He snatched it and opened it, devouring it. “It’s not even in code!” He exclaimed to nobody in particular.

Roy looked back at the newspaper and flipped to page four. He wanted to know what the public knew about Fullmetal.

He found the article. It was titled “Child Soldier”

The Fullmetal Alchemist, Major Edward Elric. He’s made quite the story the last few days. But he’s only been in the military for two weeks. However, that's not surprising. Many soldiers have gone big in their early days. 

What’s surprising, shocking, and downright appalling is that the Fullmetal Alchemist is eleven years old. 

Sources say that Fullmetal had the highest scores on the written portion of the state alchemist exam in Amestrian history. That is to say, he got every question right. 

Even more shocking is his practical exam. Fuhrer King Bradley came himself to watch the examination. An eyewitness account who saw the whole thing comments, “It was scary. The kid denied the chalk the examiner offered him. When he had to transmute. He simply clapped his hands together and pulled a spear from the ground. The entire room was in shock. Until he ran forward pointing his weapon at the fuhrer. All guns in the room were instantly on him but the kid didn’t back down! He told Fuhrer Bradley that these exams were a good chance for an assassination!”

And of course, the Fullmetal alchemist was appointed by none other than the Fuhrer. He now works in Central City under the command of Colonel Roy Mustang, the man who is rumored to have recruited Fullmetal in the first place. 

Is this a good thing? How far is the military willing to go for more power? Are they willing to corrupt the innocent mind of a child for their gain? And what of Fullmetal? The boy who’s been deemed “the hero of the people.” How could he be willing to sell his innocent youth and soul to become a dog of the military?

Roy put down the article. It was accurate to an extent. All the facts were there, but with large gaps in them. But the last paragraph had been fucking bullshit. Maybe the military was fucked up to taking on Fullmetal Fullmetal certainly wasn’t fucked up in the sense that he decided to join. 

Roy had the sudden urge to light the article on fire. He hadn’t noticed he was reaching for his ignition gloves until he felt Hughes’s hand on his own.

“Don’t. It won’t help anything. They always write satirical articles when there’s a new military big shot. Remember yours?”

“That doesn’t make it right.”

“Of course, it doesn’t.” Hughes glanced at the clock. “I gotta get back to the office.” He leaned his head toward Fullmetal. “Would you be kind if I take him? I need his help with that book.”

“Go ahead. Though I think you’re gonna have a hard time getting out of it. Once he’s reading he rarely can be stopped.”

Hughes smirked. He bent into Fullmetal’s ear and whispered something Roy couldn’t hear. Fullmetal jolted and looked around before glaring at Hughes.

“That was a dirty trick, Hughes. Don’t do it again.”

“I know. But can you come back to my office and translate that for me?”

Fullmetal turned to Roy. He gave a slight nod and Fullmetal stood up. “Sure.”

Roy watched his prodigy leave the room and he was struck by how much of a genius he was. The entire situation with the water supply inspection required intelligence and critical thinking that no normal eleven-year-old would possess. Then again, Fullmetal wasn’t even close to being like other eleven-year-olds. 

Chapter Text

Riza was very observant. She had to be, being a sniper and a sharpshooter, keen eyes were a necessary skill.  As a result, she picked up things that most assumed went unnoticed. Or that they wanted to go unnoticed.

She caught Havoc reaching for a cigarette before he even flipped open the lighter. She caught the secret snacks Breda has hidden in his desk. She was able to watch Fuery try and fail to work on radio sets during work hours. Falman read under his desk. Riza let that one slide since Falman was the only one who was even on top of his work. Of course, her colonel was the one she really had to watch out for, she knew all of his slacking techniques by heart and could easily catch him off guard to surprise him into working.

But she had someone new to keep an eye on.

Naturally, Edward garnered a great deal of her attention. More than wanting to acclimate him to the military. she also wanted to learn his habits and more about him.

He was always wary of those around him for one. Especially early on he never let himself relax in front of the team. He loosened up some, but Riza knew they were all held at a very great distance.

Except for Riza herself and Roy. 

Edward picked fights with Roy constantly. Always arguing about something or other. Roy was one she knew for professionalism, but he always fought back against Ed. Riza thought it was sweet that Roy was indulging Edward. She knew that he didn’t want to see the boy as anything other than a major but his instincts were always taking over. She tended to find herself fighting a smile at their interactions.

Ed’s interactions with her were fun. They talked about anything he wanted. He would go off on alchemy tangents and Riza, thanks to her upbringing, could follow along and let him spew all of his theories and opinions.

He was also very polite. He listened to them whenever she was talking and for someone so young, gave great advice. They talked about hunting once, it being both their reasons for learning to shoot, Ed had an excellent insight.

Riza’s heart melted when he asked her in a quiet voice if she would help him with his shooting.

Ed also always listened to her orders even when they weren’t orders. She asked him to help with the filing, and he did it and did it well. She told him he could take some of the work off the other guys if he was bored, and he did that too.

He didn’t do this with everyone though. When Havoc asked for his help, he received Ed’s middle finger. When someone in a different department asked, Ed, told the man where he could stick his requests.

Ed had a very limited bank of trust and Riza was lucky she made the cut she did.

Unfortunately, Riza’s caught onto something else about Ed.

His fears.

The first instance was when Roy came in smelling of a hangover and whiskey. Riza knew it was a hard night for him just by the way he was walking and she was sympathetic. His PTSD from Ishval came harder nights than others, just like it did for her, and she often let his lower quality of work slide on the days that were the aftermath.

However, that sympathy quickly turned into something far different. The colonel had walked past Edward. Who had jumped and glanced at Roy before standing up and announcing he was going to spend the day in the library.

Riza found him later on and talked to him.  He said he just came up with an alchemical theory.

Riza smelled bullshit but let it be.

The next time Roy came into the office with the smell of alcohol hanging off him, Edward had to deliver a report. He kept himself five feet away from Roy’s desk and refused to do the spelling and grammar lesson with him.

Riza had tried to look for him afterward but the others said he left without a word. He stayed away for three days.

After a big mission, the team usually went to a bar to celebrate. Since there was no drinking age in Amestris the team always invited Ed along. 

He refused. Every. Single. Time.

Except for this time when Havoc practically dragged Edward to Madame Christmas’ bar. Riza wasn’t happy with forcing Ed from his comfort zone, but she didn’t want to spoil the mood.

They sat in their usual order, from left to right: Falman, Riza, Roy, Havoc, Breda, Fuery. Riza sat Edward in between herself and Falman. Falman didn’t drink and Riza only took small sips of a light cider on team outings. Roy, Havoc, and Breda were the heaviest drinkers. Fuery was a lightweight.

Riza noticed how Ed’s eyes were darting at everyone. His breathing was shallow and she wanted nothing more than to pull him out. But she knew he wouldn’t want that.

It was an internal battle she was wrestling with and had no distractions until their drinks came.

Roy had reserved the bar for themselves tonight, so Madame Christmas could talk freely with all of them.

Falman was doing his best to have conversations with Ed that consisted of anything except the fact they were sitting in a bar. For sitting next to Edward, Riza had opted for something non-alcoholic. She took a glance at Ed. He was slowly inching off his seat. Ready to bolt.

A finger tapped in Riza’s line of vision. She looked up to see Madame Christmas. The bartender glanced at Edward and then gave her a hard, clear look. 

So she had seen it too then.

Riza nudged Ed who jumped and looked at her. He looked at her carefully.

“Do you wanna go? I’m not feeling well and since I’m your ride…”

She trailed off at the sheer relief on Edward’s face. He nodded. 

Riza guided him out of the bar gently, mindful of how skittish Ed was right now. Riza and Ed both got in the car. Riza started it and started to drive. Not going back to her apartment, or Ed’s house even, she just drove around.

“Lieutenant-“

“You can just stick with Riza out of the workplace Edward. I don’t mind at all.”

“Okay,” he said in a quiet voice. “We’ve been driving for a while. Didn’t you say you’re not feeling well?”

“Edward I lied. I didn’t think you would want to leave if I asked you.”

“Oh. Um I could’ve-“

“Edward,” Riza said softly. “You clearly weren’t comfortable. Do you wanna talk about why?”

Ed was quiet for three stoplights. Riza didn’t rush him, nor did she demand an answer.

Finally, he spoke. “When I was six I went to the store alone,” he started quietly. “It wasn’t far from my house, only a few miles. But it was at night. I had to get some, well it doesn’t really matter, but it was a big-ish box I was carrying.

“Well, some dickwad started talking to me. Saying nasty stuff. I ran but he followed. I’m not even sure who he was. He wasn’t from Resembool. I couldn’t even see what he looked like. But he smelled like alcohol. A lot of it.

“He.” Ed swallowed. Riza almost said he didn’t have to keep talking but she knew how bad that would be. “He dumped a bottle on me and then threw the empty bottle at me.” 

Ed pressed his left hand to the right side of his chest. “Still have the scar.”

When Riza didn’t say anything. Ed laughed. A little too long and a little too loud. “Not like it’s a big deal. Just one of those stupid childhood memories.”

Riza pulled over. She parked the car and turned in her seat to look directly at Edward.

“Edward,” she said, hard and quiet. “Your trauma is a very big deal. It has affected you and yet you’re still trying to act like it is nothing. It is not nothing. Your trauma is not nothing. You are allowed to feel upset and mad at the person who hurt you. and you are allowed to be wary of things that remind you of that person."

Ed looked at her with wide eyes. He glanced out the window.

“I don’t believe you,” he whispered.

Riza was about to say something but he spoke again.

“But I’ll be willing to try.”

Riza closed her mouth and gave him a warm smile. 

She looked up at her building. It was sheer coincidence that she had pulled over in front of it to talk to Ed.

“Would you like to come in and have some tea?” Riza asked quietly.

Ed craned his neck out the window. “This your building?”

“Mhm.”

“Sure. I’d like that.” 

The next day at the office, Riza told Roy that if he came into the office hungover again, she would shoot him. When he questioned her, she told him, not everything, but she did say that Edward had alcohol-related trauma. That alone was enough to get Roy, and the rest of the office to agree about it as well. 

From then on it was a rule that nobody was to do anything with alcohol around Ed. No bars, no, hangovers, no smell of it on uniforms. 

They were all dedicated to making it a safe place for Ed. Riza didn’t know if he noticed the efforts they were making, but she did notice the relief that was on his face whenever they talked about going out and they didn’t invite him. 

Yeah, Riza was pretty sure he noticed. 

Chapter Text

Edward did not live in a good place. 

That was on purpose of course. Ed lived in a very cheap part of town. That happened to double as a rather dangerous part of town. The Red Light District in fact.

This was no matter to Ed though. His apartment was a dump but he used alchemy to upgrade it and make it structurally sound. He had dozens of books for research and other things piled high.

The apartment was one room, minus the bathroom. The place was infested with rats and bugs. But it was cheap. That’s what mattered.

Ed knew the value of being able to buy something for less than it was worth. He had money now, sure, but how long would that last? He had to save money now, for Alphonse.

But Ed still wanted to know the area he was calling home.

So when he wasn’t working or reading he was taking walks around his new neighborhood.

During Ed’s first week living there, he was jumped seven times. 

Each time the people realized he was young. Too young to be living alone.

So Ed talked to them. He made friends with them and they gave him advice. They noticed his flinch when they opened a bottle and refrained from doing so again.

They all told him the same thing.

Madame Christmas’ place is the safest in the district.

And never go into Wesbrook. 

It was apparently a street that had been made into its own district by the people who lived there. When Ed asked his new friends, they explained to him that it was because that street was owned by the mafia boss, Don Stefano.

Naturally, Ed went to Wesbrook.

Naturally, he got jumped.

But something he wasn’t expecting was to be beaten, have a hood thrown over his head, and dragged to somewhere he couldn’t see.

He screamed and kicked the whole way because how dare these fuckers beat him in a fight and they were playing dirty.

Then ended up sedating him with a paralyzing drug to get him to stop fighting them.

But even then they had trouble lifting him with his automail. Each weighed fifty pounds so they better fucking have. It took three men to lift him into the trunk of a car and drive away.

When they did stop finally, Ed was annoyed it had taken too damn long. He had been rolling around in the back of the car for ages. The three men from before lifted Ed out of the trunk and dragged him. They stopped and restarted numerous times on account of his weight.

Ed had already guessed they were going to meet Don Stefano.

They sat Ed up in a chair and tied him down (despite the fact that he was still paralyzed) then waited. Ed heard footsteps before anything else. They were heavy and purposeful. They made his heart beat fast. Ed was either about to die or about to meet the head of a mafia.

Or both. 

The hood was yanked off his head, and something was plunged into his neck. A syringe, like the one that had been used to paralyze Ed in the first place. All at once, he could feel his arms and legs again. So that was why they bothered with tying him up. 

He looked down at himself. His clothes were all intact and his automail wasn’t visible at all. He doubted these people knew he was a state alchemist.

There was Cretan being spoken above him. Ed shook off the stupor of the drugs and tuned in. 

“Don he is hiding something. He was too heavy.” Guy One said. Ed recognized him as the leader of his abduction.

“Ethan, why do you bring me this? What exactly is so important about him?” Guy Two said.

“He was in Wesbrook. Nobody is in Wesbrook. He fought well. Called us names. Insulted you.” Ed had indeed done that. He thought it would be funny. He still thought it was kinda funny.

There were more of those footsteps. “You take things too seriously. It is not an insult if a little street gremlin does not like me.”

Little? Oh, fuck no. “ WHO YOU CALLING LITTLE!!” Ed shouted at them in Cretan. Ed normally held himself back, especially around the military people but fuck if he was going to let these mobsters act like they were better than him just cause he was the one tied to a chair.

When Ed was in the Red Light District, he never once had to put on his persona. He could be as stupid and angry as he wanted and he could be taken as a kid because that’s what would keep him alive. He didn't have to worry about adults thinking he was unfit to raise Al. 

The two men stopped talking and finally walked into Ed’s line of sight. The man with the footsteps, aka Guy Two, was definitely Don Stefano, just by the way he was dressed. Wearing a sharp suit with a gun at his hip with red hair slicked back. He had the air of cigars, not the cigarettes Havoc favored but real cigars. His entire demeanor was someone of illegal money and power.

The other man, who Ed guessed was Ethan, was more rat-like than the rodents in Ed’s apartment. He had small watery eyes that were beady, and his teeth were yellow and sticking over his top lip. His clothes were nice and expensive looking, but they did nothing to mask the rancid stench coming off him in waves. Ed wrinkled his nose. He smelled of rotten eggs and human excrement. Ed had noticed the smell before of course, but now that he saw the man who was the source of it, it made sense. 

He couldn’t help but wonder what brought the rich man and the trash man together.

Don Stefano leaned down and examined Ed. 

“Repeat that please, I didn’t quite catch what you said.”

Ed glared at him and spoke slowly. “Who you calling little?”

Don blinked in surprise. “You speak Cretan?”

“No,” Ed said sarcastically. “I don’t. You don’t hear this. ” He tugged at his bonds. “ Of course, I do, Don dipshit!”

Don took a step back. “What did you call me?” He asked in heavily accented Amestrian.

Ed rolled his eyes. “I called you a dipshit. Who the hell kidnaps some random person minding their own damn business!”

Don shot a look over to Ethan. “I sincerely apologize. I did not mean to take you here, nor insult your stature.”

Ed shrugged the best he could. “Why am I here then?”

“My enforcer here thought you had insulted me.”

“Sure did. The bastard kidnapped me, you think I’m not gonna hurl every insult in the book at him? And you for that matter?”

Don shrugged. “You have a point, my boy.”

“I’m not your boy," Ed snarled.

“My apologies. But I must ask you, would you like to stay for a while? I’m very curious to as how you know Cretan. It’s not commonly spoken here, especially by someone so young.”

Honestly, Ed was bored as hell being at home. The library was closed and Ed was pressed for something to do. “Why the fuck not?”

After Ed was untied someone else walked into the room. A young woman with red hair like Don. She was tall and walked with a similar gait as Don. 

Ed immediately guesses a paternal relation.

“Papa, I heard yelling, is everything alright?”

“Darling, it is all okay. I have a guest.”

She looked at Ed. “I see.” She held out her hand. “Im Doctor Sam Rivecca Stefano.”

Ed shook her hand. “Ed Elric.”

Her eyes flashed in recognition. “You’re the new state alchemist. I just processed your files. I’m the head doctor of the military hospital in Central.”

Ed nodded. “I’ve heard of you. But you’re under a different name.”

“I am. Doctor Terese Cinclair is my alias. Can’t work in a military hospital as a mafia heir with that name.”

“That’s the damn military for you.”

A short man came and brought trays with tea and cakes.

Ed quickly dropped the formalities with them. Sam was a lot of fun to bicker with. He didn’t act like anyone with military responsibilities when he was around her. Ed would say she’s his closest friend in the Red Light District.

Ed and Don did favors for each other. Don would call Ed and tell him that someone’s been talking with the military and it would be Ed’s job to make sure they wouldn’t be talking again. Ed never killed, that was a given, and Don respected that, but he would manage shipments or enforce Don’s rules when it was necessary. Truthfully, Ed didn't have much of a reason to be doing this other than just for fun.

Don kept an eye out for Ed. He knew Ed had secrets and while he didn’t know what they were, Don was willing to help Ed’s private life stay private. 

Ed quickly became an honorary mafia enforcer. He was known throughout the entire organization. He made friends with many of the members and people now scattered when they saw Ed on the street.

Since Ed wasn’t a fan of hospitals he would often go to Sam with his injuries. She cuffed him on the head and griped about it but she always helped him.

Which brought him to his current predicament.

Ed had been on a mission to find a rogue alchemist who had been wreaking havoc in Central. Ed found and beat the alchemist, but not without getting shot, stabbed, and his leg broken.

Ed insisted he was okay.

Mustang took him to the hospital anyway.

After two blood transfusions, surgeries for his leg and to get the bullets (as in shot multiple times Mustang liked to remind him) out, Ed was finally able to rest in a hospital room drugged to the gate and back.

When the morphine drip was reduced enough for Ed to register that he was, in fact, in a hospital, he heard two familiar voices that definitely should not be talking to each other.

“So he won’t have any permanent damage?” Mustang asked.

“Don’t worry Colonel,” Sam said. “He’s lucky, especially with that automail. Blood loss is always his biggest problem. Two bullets in his flesh limbs aren’t going to kill him but his small body coupled with two missing limbs does create a problem.”

“And the stab wound?”

“None of his internal organs were damaged. If the knife was a millimeter in any other direction this would be an autopsy instead of a medical report.”

“Thank you, Doctor…”

“Cinclair. I’m always happy to help Colonel.”

“Right. If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to take care of.”

“Of course Colonel.”

The door opened and closed. 

Ed opened his eyes to see Sam standing at the end of his bed and writing on his medical chart. She glanced up at him.

“You’re fucking stupid, you know that?” She came over to him and cuffed the back of his head. “Stupid!”

Ed rubbed the back of his head with his automail hand. “Says the suck-up,” he fired back.

She sighed. “This suck-up saved your life. Seriously Ed why do you keep fucking getting yourself into these situations!”

“I don’t fucking know! It’s not like I ask to be stabbed! And shot!”

“And your leg was broken by the bullet.” She crossed her arms.

“For real? Shit, Sam.”

“Yeah. Shit.”

They were silent as Sam took his vitals.

“Hey Ed,” Sam said before she was leaving.

“Hm?”

“Don’t do that again, kay? There are lots of people who don’t want you to die.”

“I know Sam. I don’t plan on dying. And I’m not going to either. I didn’t survive everything I have just to be taken out by a nutcase alchemist.”

“All you alchemists are nutcases,” she scoffed. “But it’s good to know you’re not dying soon.”

She left then. No sooner did the door close did it bang open again. The team and Hughes were standing in the doorway. 

Cries of Ed and Chief were heard throughout the hospital that day. 

Ed received several lectures from Riza, Mustang, and Hughes respectively. 

During his week’s stay at the hospital, the team visited often. Hughes brought his Gracia’s food “to actually feed you instead of that hospital crap” and Falman brought books from the library. When the team wasn’t there, several members of the mafia were. Saying they missed Ed being on the streets with them.

Yes, Ed had more friends than he thought. 

Chapter Text

Vato Falman was a relatively simple man. He liked living alone, he liked reading and listening to the radio soaps, and he even liked his job, for the most part.

The Warrant Officer had gone grey early, so now in his late thirties, he looked like a man who could be in his sixties. A genetic thing that he had no control over. It had never bothered him. As a result, he never dated and didn’t have kids. It wasn't the only reason, but it was when Jean asked.

Vato’s family had been relatively poor. growing up in North City, Vato had been taught the importance of familial bonds and sacrifices. He had six other siblings, and his mother was a saint. His father was a military man, dying with the rank of second lieutenant after a coal mine collapsed on him when Vato was sixteen.

Despite his father's efforts to provide for their family, some weeks were harder than others and Vato’s family went many nights with small meals or none at all. When this happened when Vato was a child, his father would often sit at the table watching everyone eat. He did this most nights and ended up eating when his children had had their fill. It’s not like he wasn’t well-fed. He often ate at the cafeteria at work, when he could afford it.

Vato immediately enlisted after his father's passing. He stretched his age up a few years to take his father’s place as the military man of the family. His pension was turned over to the benefit of his siblings and mother.  Vato even now, with his youngest siblings (because they were twins) being twenty-four years old, Vato still sent money to his mother and made sure his siblings could come to him if they needed any monetary help.

Vato’s youngest siblings (again they were twins. Max was his sister and Seth was his brother) were seven when their father died. Vato grew up watching them along with the others, all of their phases and moods. 

It was why he was no stranger to Edward Elric. 

Ed was an anomaly to be sure. A major in his own right, but he hated when called so. Vato knew he was nothing like his siblings, trauma and military ranks aside, but his interactions with the boy always felt familiar. Like he and Seth were talking about Seth’s favorite book, or when another little brother, Damon, would talk about his school life, as Ed rambled on what he had learned with his private lessons with the colonel.

But that also meant Vato knew how to watch Ed. 

He was excellent at detecting the lies of a pre-teen. He knew that when Ed laughed for too long about a certain comment, Ed was two seconds away from drop-kicking someone all the way to Eastern Command. (He had guessed about Ed’s feelings about alcohol which meant Ed was sandwiched between him and Hawkeye, their joint efforts to protect him all obvious in hindsight). 

He also caught on to the boy's tiny mannerisms. For how Ed was always scanning a room of people when he entered, or when people he didn’t trust were kept on his right side. Ed brought his hands together preparing to perform alchemy when he felt too unsafe in a situation. The constantly reaffirming of his own stance to make it as unbreakable as possible in preparation for a fight. 

His adaptability to any new situation, and his academic prowess despite never attending formal schooling. Ed often asked Vato about books and other topics. Vato was always more than happy to indulge.

They were little things.

He noticed these things on a daily basis, and it reminded him of his siblings. So much so, that when all seven Falman children went to their mother’s house dinner once a month, he talked with them about it.

This meant that Bella, who was a year younger than Vato, and the owner of the most famous bakery in North City, gave Vato sweets to give to as she put it “the little major”.

Which Vato had forgotten to bring and left on his counter that morning.

He inwardly sighed about this as he joined the rest of the team for lunch in the cafeteria. Hawkeye caught his eye and sent him a questioning look. He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. Whether she bought it or not was another matter entirely. Up ahead Havoc and Edward were arguing about backwater towns.

“There’s nothing good there. I can’t even imagine why you would want to go back,” Havoc scoffed. 

“I know you can’t, cause your brain is smaller than your dick, but some people prefer the quiet life.”

Vato’s older brother senses went off at that one. He noticed how Ed had said some instead of that he did prefer small towns since Vato had always taken Ed to be a city person. He liked to be where the people were, (despite not liking people) and he liked to explore new places. Vato had noted his wonder on the tour of Central Command, and the way Ed craned his neck to see around every corner. It was clearly in his character to have a natural wonder.

But here he was denying his own nature. For what, to prove a point? Vato didn’t think so. He might have an attachment to the town, but all his known family was dead.

As they stepped into the cafeteria they made their way toward the lunch line. Edward went to get some water and when he came back, he was the last person to be in line, standing right behind Vato.

Edward watched everyone get their food, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. Vato watched him out of the corner of his eye. Ed always got big portions of food, a direct result of his automail (and Vato’s knowledge of that was a direct result of looking into automail for not Ed’s sake but also the team's) but he always waited to get food until everyone else had done so.

As they made their way to the table, Breda started conversing with Edward about the cafeteria food. When they sat down and started eating, Ed had chosen his usual spot between the colonel and Hawkeye, right across from Vato. 

Vato picked up his fork and began eating but what Edward was doing was distracting him. He was glancing around at every member of the table, watching them eat. 

Only after everyone else started eating did Ed pick up his own fork and Vato felt nausea rise inside him.

He had seen that so many times before. Only now was he realizing, as he ran through every lunch he’d had with Edward, that Edward wore the same expression as Vato’s father did when sitting down to eat. Making sure everyone was eating before him. For the rest of the day, Vato just thought about everything Ed did regarding the team. How he was constantly acting older than he truly was. Taking on a responsibility that didn’t belong to him.

Vato was still thinking about it the next day as he got ready for work. Gifting the box of sweets from Bella completely slipped his mind as he walked out the door. 

After a few hours of work, the colonel came out of the office. 

“I wanted you all to know Fullmetal has been sent on a mission and won’t be back for a few days.”

“Wow, office sure is going to be quieter,” Breda leaned back in his chair and looked at the colonel.

“Yeah, but the cafeteria will be grateful. Kid eats the whole kitchen,” Havoc said with a smirk.

“Haven’t you noticed though?” Vato spoke up.

“Yeah yeah. I know it’s the cause of his automail. Chief explained it to me.” Havoc rolled his eyes.

Vato shook his head. “I meant haven’t you noticed how he doesn’t eat until we all have?” 

They all pondered what he said for a minute.

Fuery was the first to speak, “Actually yeah. I did notice that. I just thought it was something he did.”

Breda nodded. “Just another Ed thing.”

“Why the concern, Falman?” The colonel asked.

Vato shrugged. “It’s something my father did when I was growing up. We didn’t have much money so whenever we ate he would make sure us kids ate first.”

“But why would Ed be doing that?“ Fuery frowned. 

“Could be a force of habit,” Havoc said.

“From what though?”

“Well,” the colonel said. “It’s no secret that Fullmetal didn’t have much in the way of money. It’s the whole reason he joined the military after all.”

“But.” Hawkeye looked at the colonel. “That would mean he has someone to feed.”

They fell into speculative silence. Hawkeye was right. Ed wouldn’t be doing this, out of habit no less, if he didn’t have to worry about sacrificing a meal for another.

Ed was muscular, yes, but there was a thinness to his body that only came from a lack of proper nourishment for a long stretch of time. Clearly, he had gone more than one night without food, whether it was for the sake of someone else was a fact left to be determined.

But who was he feeding if all his family was dead?

Four days later, when Vato was sure Edward was back from his mission, he brought Edward the box of sweets. He pushed it into Ed’s hands as he tried to refuse the gift, but Vato was stubborn when he wanted to be and he made Ed relent.

That night, he called Bella to tell her about giving Edward the sweets. She was glad he took them. He also told her what he discovered about the boy. 

“Sounds like we’ve gotta plump that kid up!” Had been her response.

Falman received many boxes of sweets for Ed after that. He brought them to the office and gave placed them into his mismatched hands so that he might be able to eat for himself.

Chapter Text

Roy groaned. He hadn’t slept well the night before so now he was in a poor mood. And Hughes being here, ranting about his wife, made it all worse.

“And it’s our anniversary tonight! I’m going to take her someplace really special! I’ve gotten great recommendations from people and I found somewhere that she’ll love!” 

“Hughes,” Roy tried to interject. 

“And we’re leaving at six tonight too! That way we have the whole night together!”

A thought struck Roy then. Hughes had a daughter, Elicia, who was two years old, and Roy was the godfather of said daughter. So it was a natural instinct for him to wonder. 

“Hughes, who’s watching Elicia?” 

Hughes stopped in his rant and gave Roy a once over. “Why? Are you worried about your goddaughter?” He teased.

“Of course I am! But normally you ask me to watch her when you’re out with Gracia and I’ve yet to hear the ask.”

“That’s because I never planned to ask you.”

Roy glanced at Hughes for that one.

“What?”

“Well yeah, the last time you said you had “a date” and I was left high and dry. So instead I found someone who is much more qualified to be taking care of kids.”

“More qualified! Who is it!”

There was a knock on the door just then. Hawkeye poked her head in and gave Roy a look. “Sir,” she said. “Edward is here to give his report.”

“Oops! Looks like you’re busy!” Hughes taunted. “See you around Roy!” He called. 

Roy watched him stop and talk with Edward. He immediately started gushing about Gracia and Elicia to him. Ed listened, nodding along and waiting for Hughes to finish. 

Edward was always doing that. Letting Hughes rant on about his wife and daughter. He was the only one Roy knew that let the rants go on uninterrupted. Roy had no idea why Edward let him go on. By all means, the kid had a short attention span. 

But he was always able to focus his attention when it centered around Gracia and Elicia. Roy didn’t know how or why he did it, but he did know that it frustrated him to no end. 

Again, something he couldn’t find an exact reason for.

Roy hated it. 

In his line of work, Roy knew to trust his instincts. Getting a bad feeling from someone or a situation had saved his life on more than one occasion. But he didn’t get a bad feeling from Ed and Hughes being buddy-buddy. He just didn’t like it. And he knew to trust his gut, but his gut was telling him it would be fine. 

This was the type of feeling that was dangerous to base assumptions on. But he couldn’t stop the feeling. And he couldn’t ignore it either.

It was still bothering him that night as he sat on his couch with nothing to do. Every time he thought about doing something else, Ed and Hughes were in his mind and it was impossible to ignore it.

He glanced at the clock. It read six o’clock exactly. 

Hughes and Gracia would be leaving right about now. 

He tried to put the thought out of his mind. He reached for a book and flipped through the pages, stopping at a random one just for something to do.

He read for an hour and glances back at the clock. 

6:03

Maybe not an hour then. Not even close.

But he’s been reading so much so fast and…

Oh.

He’s been reading the same line. Over and over. But if anyone asked him what that line was he wouldn’t know.

He reaches for a different book, one much more engaging. This time he starts from the beginning, but he’s losing focus before he can get to the second paragraph.

Maybe something else then. 

He forced himself up and went to sit at his desk in the study. He wasn’t thinking clearly enough for alchemy but he did bring paperwork home to do. That is something that would work. It would certainly keep his mind off the gnawing feeling in his stomach.

The more Roy worked the more he got done and the more his mind was occupied. This was good. He wasn’t thinking about Hughes and Ed.

That is until he was done with the work.

Then he was drumming his fingers on the desk and glancing back at the clock. 

7:05

Roy groaned and slammed his face into his desk. An idea hit him.

He could just as easily want to visit his goddaughter. 

That way he could check on the babysitter. 

And it wouldn’t be as if he was being paranoid. Because he was just on a walk in the neighborhood.

And he wanted to see his goddaughter. 

Besides, it’s not like the babysitter would know that he’s used to being the one there and that he was desperately trying to get his mind off something bothering him by solving something else that was desperately bothering him.

He wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Roy stood from the desk and went to put his shoes on. He threw his coat over his shoulders and left the apartment. He tried to walk at a leisurely pace but it was almost impossible when all he wanted to do was sprint there. The walk was agonizingly long. In reality, he knew Hughes only lived about fifteen minutes from his house, but it seemed like hours.

He had the key to the apartment with him so technically he could walk right into the apartment. But he didn’t want MPs called to the scene by a timid babysitter. Which, is actually what the good thing to do is when you’re babysitting a lieutenant colonel’s daughter and someone breaks in.

So he knocked on the door instead. When there was no answer he knocked again. He finally heard the locks click open and the door open. 

“What do you want?” 

Roy couldn’t help it. He gaped. Edward Elric was standing in the doorway, barefoot and wearing an apron over his tank top, his hair done in pigtails. Elicia was balanced on his left hip and being held up with his flesh arm. 

“Uncle Roy! Eddie! Uncle Roy is here!”

“I see that Princess,” Ed said to her. He turned to Roy. “What are you doing here?” 

“I…” any possible excuse he had prepared for the babysitter had flown out of his mind. 

“You…” Edward prompted. 

“I came to visit Elicia?”

Ed’s eyes scanned him. Then his lips formed into a smirk. 

Whatever he was planning on saying was stopped as Elicia tugged on his shirt collar. “I wanna play with Uncle Roy! Please, Eddie?”

“I don’t know Princess. You’ll have to ask Uncle Roy,” he said with a grin on his face that Roy decided was too wide for his liking.

Elicia matched his grin (much more innocently) and stared at Roy with her wide green eyes. “Uncle Roy! Come play! Please!” She added with a quick glance at Ed.

Ed nodded in approval and gave Roy a glare as if daring him to say no.

Roy internally scoffed. As if he would. Well, more like if he could. Elicia’s puppy dog eyes had more power over him than he’d like to admit.

“Of course, I will!” Roy said.

Elicia squealed in delight and squirmed in Ed’s arms until he put her down. She latched onto Roy’s pant leg and pulled him inside the apartment. It didn’t escape Roy’s notice how Ed immediately locked the door.

Elicia took him to the living room where her toys were spread out and around. Ed watched them for a moment before he was satisfied and went into the kitchen.

“So Cece,” Roy said to Elicia with his pet name for her. “Eddie babysits you?”

“Uh-huh,” Elicia said from where she was grabbing as many toys as her little arms could carry. “He’s my big brother.”

Roy played with Elicia whole-heartedly but his mind was filling up with questions. 

Ed popped his head into the room as Elicia was putting her pink plastic crown on Roy’s head. 

“Eddie!” Elicia squealed. She too was wearing a crown, but it was purple. “Look! Uncle Roy’s a princess! We match!”

“I see that. Should we be calling him Princess Uncle Roy then?”

Elicia nodded seriously. “Yeah. We need to! But we can shorten it! Like how my name is Princess Babygirl Pumpkin Beansprout Cece Elicia!”

Roy thought how cute it was that she thought each of those nicknames was one of her real names. Whenever she did something like that Roy understood how Maes could gush about her for hours.

“Well, I came in here because it’s time for the princesses to go to dinner. Come wash your hands, both of you.”

“Okie Eddie!” Elicia got up and followed him into the kitchen. Roy followed too, out of curiosity if nothing else.

Ed was holding Elicia up at the kitchen sink as she washed her hands under the faucet. She was singing the alphabet song as she washed them.

When she finished the song Ed handed her a towel and she dried her hands, then he carried her over to her seat.

Roy sat down in his usual chair but Elicia shrieked. 

Ed whipped around and had his hands together so fast Roy thought for a moment that he had them together the whole time. 

“Uncle Roy didn’t wash his hands!” She shouted, pointing at him. 

Ed deflated and his hands fell apart. He sagged against the counter. Roy was struck by how quick his reflexes were. It was almost unhealthy how ready he was for a fight and the relief when there wasn’t an emergency. 

“Uncle Roy!” She shouted again.  

Roy stood up and went to the sink as Edward shook himself out of his stupor and started plating up the dinner.

By the time Roy had finished washing his hands (with Elicia singing the song for him), Edward had almost returned to normal. 

But as he put the plates down Roy saw the shaking of his hands. Not enough to alert Elicia, not even enough to make someone who doesn’t know Ed realize. But Roy’s seen how steady those hands are, and a waver in them, even slightly, is enough cause for concern.

Ed washed and sat down and Elicia babbled through dinner. Roy ate his own portion of the chicken pot pie. 

The taste was heavenly. It was rich and creamy and he could still taste the individual flavors. The crust was buttery and fluffy.

“This isn’t Gracia’s,” Roy said.

Ed rolled his eyes. “Do you see her here?”

“I meant the recipe, genius.”

“I am a genius, thank you very much, and no it’s not hers. It’s mine.”

Roy choked. “Yours?” 

“Don’t sound so shocked Colonel. I am capable of more than alchemy and military missions.”

“Why do you call Uncle Roy that?” Elicia asked.

“Because he’s my boss,” Ed answered. “It’s his rank, like how your daddy is a Lieutenant Colonel.”

“What's a rank?”

“It’s how high up in the military you are. Colonel is a pretty high rank. So is Lieutenant Colonel.”

“So what are you?”

“I’m a major. It’s one lower than Lieutenant Colonel.”

“So Daddy’s your boss?”

“Kind of. He doesn’t work with Uncle Roy and me, but he can still order me around.”

“Does he?”

Ed shook his head and took a bite of his own meal. “No, because your daddy is a good man.” He leaned forward towards her and hid part of his face behind his hand. “But Uncle Roy,” he said in a loud whisper, “he orders me around all day. It’s why you don’t see me too often Babygirl, 'cause he’s making me go places for him.”

Roy rolled his eyes. 

Elicia gasped. “Bad Uncle Roy! Don’t send Eddie away anymore!”

“Okay, Cece. I’ll keep him around so he can play with you.”

She giggled and clapped her hands, then when back to eating. Ed was watching her with a fond smile on his face. For the millionth time that night, Roy wondered the story behind them, behind this.

Elicia had finished her pie and was trying to get out of her chair.

“Hold it Beansprout. You’re not going anywhere until you finish your vegetables,” Ed said. 

Roy looked and lo and behold, the small pile of broccoli on her plate was untouched.

“No! It’s yucky!”

“No broccoli means no dessert,” Ed said simply. “Look, Uncle Roy is eating his.”

He kicked Roy’s shin under the table. Roy winced and started to eat the broccoli that was on his own plate. It wasn’t the worst version of the vegetable he’d ever tasted, but it wasn’t particularly good either. He didn't think even Armstrong's professional chef could make broccoli taste good.

When he finished it all Ed got up and opened the freezer. He took out an ice pop and handed it to Roy.

“I wanna ice pop!”

“Ice pops come after vegetables,” Ed said, taking one for himself. 

Elicia groaned and looked between Edward and her broccoli. He’d seen Maes and Gracia have this battle with her before, and Elicia always ended up winning. 

So Roy was shocked when she picked up her fork and started to eat the broccoli. All of it. 

Ed smiled approvingly and when she was done he handed her a purple ice pop. 

Ed was starting to clean up the table and Roy helped. Drying the dishes that Ed washed. 

“How did you do that?” He whispered. “When Maes tries, he gets a tantrum.”

“I’m more convincing than Maes is,” Ed explained. “He usually gives in when the tears come, but that’s never worked with me.”

“Damn, when Maes said you’re more qualified to take care of kids than I am, he wasn’t joking.”

“Why are you here anyway?” Ed asked. “I know you weren’t in the area.”

“I was nervous about their babysitter since Maes didn’t say who it was. Excuse me for wanting to make sure my goddaughter is in capable hands.”

Ed nodded stiffly. “That’s… I get it.” 

Before Roy could question him, Ed turned off the faucet and dried his hands, done with all of the dishes. 

He got Elicia out of her chair and she pulled him into the living room. Roy continued to clean the kitchen. When he was done, he went into the living room where Elicia was running a pink brush for her dolls through Ed’s long golden strands, which were finally free from their pigtails.

They spent the rest of the night playing games with Elicia. At nine, Edward managed to get her to sleep. Which was something Roy never was able to do without a fight from the toddler.

And he got her to pick up her toys beforehand by turning the chore into a game. 

They sat on the couch in the living room, tired. Roy could see the weariness in Edward, probably because he’d been working all week on some rather extensive missions. He wondered how Ed was able to fit this into his schedule with work being so hectic.

Roy was about to ask the questions he was burning with but he felt a weight on his arm. He looked down to see that Ed had fallen asleep, with his hang gripping Roy’s sleeve. 

Edward was so mature, taking care of Elicia well and all of that, but in reality, he was just a child. 

He briefly wondered if Ed always fell asleep when he was babysitting but Roy quickly clamped down on that train of thought. Edward wasn’t dumb, clearly being experienced with taking care of children, and he was probably only allowing himself to sleep now because Roy was here.

As Roy smiled and watched Ed sleep he realized that the gnawing feeling that he’d had all day had finally been rescinded. It’s not like anything had been answered, but somehow, this was a greater comfort to him than any answer from Maes could ever be.

Watching Ed, he realized that he would be insanely sore tomorrow if he stayed in his current position any longer. He reached his unoccupied arm around Ed and pulled the boy into his lap. Edward squirmed until he was comfortable and he gave a contented sigh. Roy gingerly plucked Ed's hair free of the knotted braid Elicia had given him and ran his fingers through the golden strands.

The lock on the door clicked and Roy looked up. He heard the door open and footsteps and familiar whispering followed.

Gracia and Maes walked into the living room. They stared in confusion when they saw him. Then Maes spotted Edward on his lap and he broke into a huge shit-eating grin.

“Lookie Lookie,” he said.

“Can it Hughes,” Roy growled.

“I can’t believe you did it out of order. You’re supposed to get a wife first, then have kids. Though at the rate you and Riza are going, I’m surprised you haven’t adopted him yet.”

“Why you!” Roy tried to get off the couch but Edward's weight stopped him.

“Careful. You’ll wake your bundle of joy,” Maes chided.

“Roy,” Gracia cut off her husband. “You know we love you, but what are you doing here?”

“Oh I-“

“He got nervous when he didn’t know who was babysitting Elicia. He was afraid of being replaced,” Maes said again, but in a completely serious manner.

“That’s not…” he stopped when he saw the looks on their faces. “Okay, so that’s exactly what happened. But I have more than a few questions for you two.”

“Fire away,” Maes said. They sat on the couch across from him.

Roy cringed at the pun, no doubt intentional. But he asked his questions anyway. “How did this happen exactly?”

“Ed was at our house for dinner a few months ago and Elicia was having a tantrum. When we couldn’t calm her down, Edward went up to her, told her to breathe, got her a glass of water then just asked her what was wrong. Tantrum over and that was that,” Maes explained.

“Ever since, she’s been attached to him and when we ask who she wants to babysit her, she always asks for her “big brother Eddie,” Gracia continued.

Roy supposed that made sense. But he was still confused as to what experience Ed had with children to make him so excellent with Elicia.

“If you excuse me,” Gracia stood up. “I’m going to go check on Elicia.”

She left the room. Maes’ eyes fell on Roy.  “What’s wrong Roy?”

Roy thought about shrugging his best friend off. He really did. But when he looked at Maes he knew that he would be able to find the answers he sought.

“Earlier, when Ed came in the office, I’m not sure, it was weird.”

Maes leaned forward. “In what way?”

“Well, I was really, just… irritated I guess. That you two were talking.”

“You were…” Maes looked at him, not understanding. Suddenly, comprehension dawned in his eyes, and his face split into a huge grin. “You were jealous.”

“What! No, I wasn’t! Get real Maes.”

“Think about it. You wanted Ed to be as engaging with you as he was with me. He was treating me like, a parent. You wanted that! And now that he’s sleeping on your lap as a father would do for his child, you’re not feeling that way anymore, am I right?”

“Well, I suppose. But I don’t want to be Ed’s father. He doesn’t need me as his father at all. If anything you’re closer to a father than I am.”

“No no no no no no no. He looks up to you. He cares about what you think of him. Your opinion of him matters. You matter to him.”

“He doesn’t need me as a father figure. I’m… not a good enough person to be a father.”

Maes smiled softly. “Well, then it works out. Ed doesn’t think he’s good enough to be anyone’s son.”

Roy's eyes widened in disbelief and looked down at the kid in his lap.

With that, Maes stood and went to his bedroom. He stopped. “Ed can stay tonight. You can too. And think about it, Roy. It’s not the worse thing in the world to be a father. Just ask the kid himself.”

Roy had no idea what Maes meant by that. But he did know that as he sat there, running his fingers through Ed’s hair and his small hands clung to him that maybe, just maybe, Maes was right.

Not that Roy would ever tell him that.

Chapter Text

Kain Fuery wasn’t known for being a field agent. He worked best behind the scenes, monitoring the radios and communication systems. It was where he was most skilled and most comfortable.

Being the scrawny most inexperienced member of Team Mustang, he always got the grunt work. Again, it was something he didn’t truly mind since it kept him out of the field. The other team members often referred to him as a kid because of that inexperience, and unwillingness to correct it.

But Edward was younger, scrawnier, and much more inexperienced than Fuery. He was also higher ranking.

Edward was an actual kid, in age anyway. Kain could instantly tell that his insistence that he wasn’t a kid ran deeper than a child wanting to be stronger than he appeared. Edward wasn’t a kid at all.

Kain seemed to be the only person who saw that. 

To him, he had to squint and cock his head to the side to see anything childlike in what Edward did. It was always that he seemed to be more experienced and that he took up more space than he really did.

Edward and Kain, despite being the youngest members of the group, didn’t do much together. Edward isolated himself and Kain was too scared to even approach him. Even though Edward had told them he wouldn’t act like a major, he still was one and that was enough to scare Kain away from any type of interaction.

So imagine his surprise when they were both called into Colonel Mustang’s office.

Kain had approached the desk and stood at attention while Edward slouched like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“Take a seat,” the colonel said.

Both Kain and Edward sat.

The colonel threw two files onto the desk. “You two have a mission. Together.” He pushed the files toward them. 

Kain grabbed them both and handed one to Edward. He opened his own to read during the briefing.

“There’s been an issue in the south, most notably Dublith. Apparently, there have been reports of an alchemist committing break-ins left and right. The only thing they’re leaving behind is transmutation marks.”

“Did you say Dublith?” Edward asked.

“Yes. Anyway, you both will be going to make things smoother-”

“I’m not going.” 

Kain and the colonel looked at Edward. He was sitting adamantly and glaring at the file on the coffee table.

“Hate to tell you, but yes you are.” The colonel leaned back in his chair.

“No way.” Ed crossed his arms. “Not even Truth could make me go.”

“Well I’m not Truth, whoever that is, and you will go. That’s an order Fullmetal.”

“I’ll stick your orders up your ass,” Edward muttered as he sat back down. Kain winced at the colorful words.

Either the colonel didn’t hear or he was choosing to ignore it because he continued with the briefing.

“Because of this, you both will be tasked with looking into the break-ins. I don’t care how it gets done but make sure they are caught. Your train leaves tomorrow at dawn. Any questions?”

“Actually Sir,” Kain said. “Why aren’t they sending alchemists from South City to deal with this?”

“According to Colonel Sham, the official in charge of the case, they’re overloaded as it is so they appealed to Central for help.”

“Fucking bastard can’t do his own dirty work,” Edward snapped under his breath.

“Something you’d like to say, Fullmetal?”

“There’s a lot of things I’d like to say, but they wouldn’t change anything,” he said in a resigned tone.

“Probably not,” the colonel agreed. “Anything else?”

“No Sir,” Kain said at the same time Edward said “nope.”

“Good. Fullmetal you can go, Sergeant, stay for a moment.”

Karin’s stomach flipped. He didn’t know what he had done. Maybe that was why he was being sent on the mission. As a punishment? 

Edward stood and shot a glance back at Kain, but he continued on out of the office anyway. After Ed closed the door behind him Kain turned to the colonel. 

The colonel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Why does he have to be so difficult?”

“Sir?” Kain asked. 

Mustang snapped out of whatever stupor he was in. “Fuery, during this mission you and Edward will be working together. He’s technically a higher rank than you and has gone on more field missions, but I’m counting on you to keep him in check.”

“Oh. Yes sir.”

“That being said, I’m giving you an out. If you don’t want to take the mission I’ll send someone else out with him. I know it’s not ideal to have two inexperienced soldiers on the field.”

Kain frowned in confusion. Colonel Mustang giving an out was almost unheard of yet it was right here. He didn’t like that at all. Yes, he was inexperienced, but obviously, he was on the job for a reason. And sure, Edward’s outburst was unprecedented but so was everything about him. Even after him being in the military for three months, they still didn’t know all that much about him. And how would Edward feel about Kain leaving the mission? He would probably, at least on some level, take it personally. Kain didn’t want to be the source of any internal strife the young major might have.

“With all due respect Sir,” Kain said. “I’ll stick with the mission. The best way to no longer be inexperienced would be to do the work so I can get better at it.”

Colonel Mustang smiled. “Good man Fuery. I’m glad you see that. It would be good for Fullmetal to work with someone who’s such an avid rule-follower.”

Kain blinked.

“You can leave now to get everything you need for the mission. Remember check-ins are twice a day. Other than that you’re dismissed.”

Kain stood and saluted his superior then left the office, his mind reeling. He wasn’t sure how to feel about this whole situation.  

On his way out of the building, he passed by Edward who was sitting on the stairs.

“Oh, Edward!” He said after almost tripping on him. “The colonel said we could leave for the day to get ready for tomorrow. Early train and..all…that…” he trailed off. Ed was glaring at him. Gold eyes boring into his soul made Kain feel like he had done something wrong.

“What did he say to you?” Edward finally asked.

Kain didn’t know how Edward knew. But either way, he probably wouldn’t take kindly to what the colonel had told Kain.

“He was just going over mission protocol,” Kain lied.

Edward scoffed. “Yeah and I’m not an invalid-" Kain flinched at the word choice. "-I know he said something else too.”

“Well,” Kain said carefully, seeing no way around the truth. “He did, um, offer me the chance to not take the mission. Only because neither of us has much experience. Don’t worry though!” He added at the murderous look on the blond’s face. “I didn’t take it!”

“You should’ve,” Edward snapped. “So you don’t have to deal with all my problems .”

“Oh um it-“

“Fucking forget it.” Edward stormed off down the steps and through the streets. 

Well, Kain thought grimly. Tomorrow will be interesting, to say the least.

Kain waited at the train station, a bag slung over his shoulder. He was scanning the crowd for Edward and his telltale gold hair. 

In his defense, the only lights were the station lamps as it was before dawn.

He was so very tired. Getting up early wasn’t something he was used to, yet here he was.

“You good?” He heard. Kain jumped and whipped around. He relaxed when he saw Edward standing there, suitcase in hand, and hunched over himself.

“Oh, Ed. I didn’t see you there.”

“You trying to call me short?”

“What? No.” Kain scratched the back of his head. “To be honest I didn’t think you’d be coming.”

“Yeah well, I’m here, against my better judgment.”

“Well the tickets here in the files were given in the briefing, so all we have to do is board the train.”

“You waited for me?” he asked.

It took Kain a moment to realize that Edward was genuinely shocked. 

“Yeah. I figured since it’s both of us on the mission, we should stick together, right?”

Edward grunted something and headed towards the train. Kain followed him and let the major lead him toward an empty compartment. 

“It’s an eight-hour train ride to Dublith, but we don’t have to switch trains at all,” Kain said, mostly to himself than to Ed.

The whistle blew and the train started moving. Edward leaned against the window and promptly fell asleep.

“So much for conversation,” Kain muttered as he took out the day’s paper.

Edward woke up sometime after they passed through South City. He smacked his lips and looked around the compartment, his eyes falling on Kain.

Kain looked away from the window to glance at Edward. In his lap, there was a map of the train route. Their next stop was Rush Valley, then they would arrive in Dublith in a few hours.

“Hey Fuery,” Edward said. 

“Yeah?”

“Sorry. For yesterday I mean. It wasn’t your fault the bastard offered you an out.”

Kain blinked. He hadn’t been expecting it ever wanting an apology but it was nice to hear all the same. 

“Don’t worry about it, Edward.” Kain smiled. “It was kinda rude. Don’t tell the colonel I said that!” He added in a rush.

Edward scoffed. “Yeah sure. If I did that I’d have to tell him everything I say. And trust me that’s a long list.”

Kain laughed. “I’m guessing ‘bastard’ is at the top.”

“Something like that."

“Oh, that’s right!” Kain said. He turned to his side and pulled out a lunchbox he had bought from the trolley cart. He handed it to Ed. “I bought these when the cart came by but I didn’t wanna wake you.”

Ed looked at the box in wonder. Then he glanced up at Kain. “You got yourself one?”

“Yeah, but I ate it earlier.”

Ed nodded and tore into the box. Instead of watching him eat, Kain took out a deck of cards and started shuffling. He laid them out on the seat next to him and started to set up to play solitaire.

“Wattchu doin?” Ed asked with a full mouth. 

“Solitaire,” Kain answered.

He said something else that Kain couldn’t understand.

“What?”

Ed swallowed. “I said, how do you play?”

“Oh! Well, you try to get all of the cards onto the aces to win, but you don’t have access to all the cards. You have to move them around in a certain order,” Kain explained.

Edward put his finished lunch aside. “Show me.”

So Kain did.

They spent the rest of the two hours playing solitaire. He was a fast learner so Kain only had to explain the rules once. They had made it into a competition, who could solve their decks first.

Edward was shocked when Kain won. Kain shrugged and explained that he’d been playing since he was a kid, but it was mostly just luck of the draw. 

They pulled into the station and Kain put the cards away. They walked out of the train. Kain looked at the file. 

“It says we’re supposed to head to the hotel, we already have a room reserved, then check-in, then head to the scenes of the break-ins.”

“What’s the hotel?” Ed leaned over. 

“It’s called Desert House.”

Edward sighed. “Let’s go then.“ he walked out of the station. 

Kain rushed after him. He let Edward lead the way and was pleasantly surprised that Ed had led them to the right hotel. It was like he knew exactly what to do and where to go.

Soon after they checked into the hotel, called the colonel, and headed to the first scene. 

Kain gasped at what he saw. 

A flower shop had been decimated by alchemy. It had been roped off and was guarded by military personnel. Glass littered the scene and transmutation marks littered the walls. 

Edward showed them his watch to get access. Kain went to talk to the guards while the major looked at the marks. When Kain got the information he joined Edward. 

“There’s no blood,” Ed said. “This wasn’t done to hurt anyone.”

Kain nodded. “I talked to the personnel on the scene. They said that nothing was taken, either product or money.”

“Then what the hell was the purpose of breaking the place?” He snapped. 

“I’m not sure. Let’s go check out the other scenes and see what we can find.”

Edward nodded and they set off. The second scene was a bookstore that looked like a flower shop. Nothing stolen. No blood or trace of signs of a fight. The third scene was a bakery. It was the same as the others. Kain sighed. 

Ed glanced at him. “There’s no fucking evidence. How the fuck are we supposed to do shit when we don’t have any evidence!”

Kain blinked. He had known that Ed wasn't exactly the most reserved soul, but his curse words were so avid that they would make even Kain's mother pale. He sighed. “I guess our next option is just to go door to door to ask people if they’ve seen anything.”

Ed groaned.

“I don’t like it either, but we really don’t have much of a choice.”

“It’s not like people will actually talk to us! People in Dublith hate the military y’know.”

“We’re out of options.”

Ed sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Kain blinked at the striking resemblance to the colonel.

“Fine fine. But if they throw cuts of meat at us it’s your fucking fault.”

“Sure?”

Ed was right of course. As they were asking people they snapped at them and yelled at them and some did throw rotten food.

Kain sighed. He wiped off the vegetables that had been thrown at him and watched them fall to the ground. Ed had better reflexes and was able to dodge the spoiled produce. Kain looked around the street and spotted a butcher’s shop sitting in the middle. 

“That'll be our last one for today,” Kain said, heading towards it. 

Edward trailed behind him, staring at his own shoes. 

Kain pushed open the door and the bell chimed overhead. He looked around the empty shop. 

“Excuse us!” He called.

“Just a minute!” Was the response from a woman’s voice.

Edward stiffened. He finally looked up and glanced around the shop. His eyes went wide with fear.

“Oh fuck,” he hissed. He turned around and went for the door. Just as he reached for the handle a knife was thrown and landed in the wall by Ed’s eyes.

Kain jumped back in shock and turned towards the direction the knife had been thrown from. 

“EDWARD ELRIC!” A loud booming voice from the back shouted.

A woman came out of the kitchen, murder on her face and a knife in her hand. She threw it at Ed and he barely managed to dodge it.

More knives were thrown and Kain made a move to something, anything to stop this crazy woman from throwing knives at his friend, but a heavy hand fell onto his shoulder.

He looked around to see a man the size of Major Armstrong with a bushy beard slowly shaking his head. 

“Let this happen, kid,” he said.

Kain was in no position to protest, so instead, he watched the woman throw knives at Ed. 

She had black dreadlocks and sharp xingese eyes. Her shirt was cut low and revealed a Flamel tattoo like the one on the back of Ed’s prized coat. She was tall, taller than Kain, and had a muscular build. 

“Cut it out!” Ed shouted as he continued to dodge. “I’m working!”

“You couldn’t even have come visit on your own time!” She shouted. She threw another knife and this time Ed wasn’t so lucky. It hit his metal arm with a ting and clattered to the floor. She stopped just before throwing another knife (Kain didn’t even wanna know where she kept getting them) and stared in disbelief at Edward. “What the hell was that!”

“Oh fuck,” Ed whispered, no longer paying attention to the woman. He ripped off his coat and revealed his automail arm to inspect the damage done by the knife.

The woman gasped and dropped the knife she was holding. The man holding Kain back released him in favor of going to the woman.

Kain went to Edward, carefully avoiding the knives on the floor. He looked at where Ed was staring at his arm. A small screw had come loose.

Kain felt around his pocket and took out a small screwdriver. He carried it around in case he needed to tinker with radio equipment. He handed it to Ed who shot him a grateful look and tightened the screw.

“Oh Ed, the woman said softly. “What happened?”

Ed looked at her, shame and guilt all over his face. He hesitated, swallowed, then finally spoke. “I did the thing,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper. 

“You did the…” she trailed off as her expression turned into one of absolute horror. “You…”

Her eyes hardened. She tore herself out of the man’s arms and rushed over to Ed, shoving Kain into the floor. She raised her leg and kicked Edward so hard that he went flying into the wall.

The woman started yelling at him about his stupidity.

The thing Kain was most shocked about was that Ed wasn’t even trying to fight back. He was just sitting there and taking it.

That’s when it hit Kain. 

What she was yelling at Edward about. 

It wasn’t losing his arm.

It was doing human transmutation. The ultimate alchemy taboo. 

Kain knew Edward did it of course. The whole team did. After Lieutenant Colonel Hughes shouted about it where the whole team could hear, it wasn’t exactly a secret to anyone on the team.

However, Kain figured something else out too. This woman knew Edward before he lost his limbs. And she knew what “the thing” was without Ed having to explain.

Somehow, with absolutely no evidence to back his theory up, Kain knew this woman was an alchemist, with at least some knowledge of the taboo.

“Enough!” Ed snapped. He stood to his full height, which admittedly wasn’t very much, but he radiated authority. “You can’t lecture me on this.”

“Oh, I can’t? Let’s see. What about Alphonse?”

“Don’t bring him into this! It was something stupid I did because I was tired! I couldn’t take it anymore!” He was breathing heavily now. “I just wanted to be a kid,” he said in a voice no louder than a whisper. But still, it was heard around the room and Kain felt something in his own heart crack.

He wasn’t used to seeing Edward so vulnerable. Ed always seemed, invincible. Nothing anyone could say really had any effect on him. But now that he was showing weakness for the first time since Kain had known him…

It made Kain feel like he was intruding on something that was deeply personal.

Then, much to Kain’s shock, she coughed up blood.

“Gah! Teacher!” Ed called. 

“Izumi!” The man shouted. He went over to the woman and supported her as she hacked up blood. 

Kain barely registered what Ed had said. He took a step forward to help in some way but the woman shook off both Ed and the man. She reached out for Edward and pulled him into a hug.

Ed was stiff for a few minutes until he practically melted into her arms. The man wrapped his big and hairy arms around them both.

“I’m sorry,” the woman said. “I should’ve explained it to you better and now look at you.”

“I would’ve done it anyway,” Ed insisted. “I’m pretty stupid.”

The woman laughed. “You certainly are.”

Edward was the first to pull out of the hug. He caught Kain’s eye and blushed a ruddy pink but glared at Kain as if daring him to say anything.

The woman turned around. She narrowed her eyes at Kain. 

“Who are you?” She demanded.

Kain’s stomach flipped in intimidation. “Master Sergeant Fuery,” he answered.

“And why are you with Edward?”

“He’s my commanding officer.”

Ed smacked himself in the head and the woman’s jaw dropped. She turned to glare at Ed. “What does he mean?”

“ I may have, become a state alchemist,” Ed said carefully.

“You are no-“ she cut herself off as Edward held up his pocket watch.

“You’re eleven!”

“Yeah, turns out they don’t have an age requirement for state alchemists. Who knew?”

“And after all that I told you about the military!”

“They pay really well. I send the money back home to help with expenses. Besides, being a government official means I can legally adopt.”

Kain had no idea what Edward was talking about, but it clearly made sense to the man and woman.

“You said you were here for work,” The man said. 

Ed nodded. “Yeah, those random buildings being destroyed by alchemy. You heard of them?”

“You just missed him.” The woman crossed her arms. “He came by yesterday and tried to attack our little shop. But don’t worry, he met the housewife here and I set him straight.”

Ed groaned. “And just what are we supposed to tell Mustang? It’s not like I can say “hey we ran into my old alchemy teacher and it turns out she dealt with the problem herself!”

“Why not?”

“He’ll probably try to recruit you for the military.”

“I’d like to see him try!” The woman punched one hand with the other. 

“Either way, you’d be on the military’s radar which I know you don’t want, so I’ll have to come up with something better.” Ed put his hand on his chin in concentration.

“What if we just tell him that there were reports of him leaving the scene and heading further south? That way it would be out of our jurisdiction so we can’t be penalized for not going after him,” Kain suggested.

“Fuery, you’re a fucking genius,” Ed said.

“I can go tell him that now if you want?”

Ed nodded. “Yeah. Make it believable.”

“You can use our phone,” the man said. He pointed to the wall phone that was hanging over the counter. 

“Thanks.” Kain took it and dialed the number.

“Central command, how may I help?” The voice on the other line said.

“I need to be connected to Colonel Mustang.”

“Please recite your code.”

Kain gave it to her. 

“Just a moment please.”

The line clicked.

“Colonel Mustang speaking.”

“Colonel, it’s Fuery.”

“Oh? You already called to check in earlier. Did something happen?”

Ed leaned over to listen in. 

“Well sir, we spoke to many eyewitnesses today and we got many reports of the perpetrator leaving a would-be crime scene after being caught by the owner of the shop. They all said that the perpetrator headed south and left Dublith.”

“And you didn’t go after them?”

“Sir, we’ve only been given clearance to work in Dublith. Anything else would be out of our jurisdiction since Southern Command only applied for help in Dublith. Besides, if we go any farther south we’ll be nearing the border war in Aerugo, sir.”

“Was the store owner available for comment?”

“No sir,” Kain lied smoothly. “Dublith is a military-hating town. She outright refused to talk to us.”

The colonel sighed and Kain could just imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Fine. You two really don’t have any other options. You did the best you could. Spend the night and come back with full reports tomorrow.”

“Yes sir. Have a good night sir.”

“You too Fuery.” The line went dead.

Kain sighed in relief and hung up the phone. Ed punched him in the arm. “Way to go Fuery! I didn’t think you had it in you!”

“Oh. Um, thanks?” Kain rubbed where he’d been punched. “We need to start our reports though.”

“Nah,” Ed waved him off. “We have eight hours to do it tomorrow on the train.”

“Where are you boys staying?” The woman asked. 

“Some hotel,” Ed answered. 

The woman and the man glanced at each other. 

“Why don’t you stay with us?” The man asked.  

“Oh thank fuck,” Edward said, clearly relieved. “Fuery would you mind getting our stuff from the hotel?”

Kain blinked. “Both of ours?”

Ed scoffed. “Obviously.”

“Oh alright then.”

Kain left the shop and headed down to the hotel. He checked grabbed his and Ed’s luggage and checked out of the room. In no time at all, he was back at the butcher shop. He pushed open the door and all conversation stopped and all three stared at him. 

“We haven’t introduced ourselves,” the woman said. She was much calmer than her first appearance, Kain noticed with relief. “I’m Izumi Curtis, and this is my husband, Sig.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Kain said.

They led him into the back of the shop which turned out to be their house.

Mrs. Curtis showed him where he could put his and Ed’s luggage.

They all ate an excellent dinner, and they introduced themselves further. 

“I’m Edward’s alchemy teacher,” she explained. “But mostly, I’m just a housewife,” she added with a laugh.

Kain sincerely doubted that since he’d watched her throw knives with more accuracy than Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, but he didn’t say that out loud.

After dinner, they talked a bit more, but Kain knew how to read a room. He excused himself and went to bed, giving Edward some alone time with his teacher and her husband. Which, he had gathered during dinner, was the closest thing Ed now had to a family.

Kain pretended to be asleep when Edward came in a few hours later. He also pretended that he didn’t hear Ed’s breathing from a stuffed nose.

The next day they woke up to catch their train. Kain thanked Mr. and Mrs. Curtis for their hospitality and left, lying about having to fix some things with the hotel.

He waited for Edward to join him at the station. When they sat on the train they both wrote their reports. 

“Here,” Kain said. “Hand me yours so I can match it with mine.” 

Ed did so. 

“There,” Kain said when he was done. “Now the colonel won’t be able to know.”

Ed nodded. “Do you have the,” he mimed with his hands the shuffling motion Kain did when he played solitaire.

Kain took out the cards and threw them to Ed. 

They clearly weren’t going to talk about yesterday.

Kain was perfectly fine with that.

Chapter Text

Ed turned to the next page in his book. He was sitting in his apartment and spending the day reading inside. It was pouring rain and his ports were throbbing and cramping. Thank Truth for not being needed in the office today. He was dedicating the entire day to himself and his research.

Ed looked over his book at his tea with disdain. It had grown cold. Ed wrinkled his nose. He hated wasting things. The tea was a gift from Hawkeye and Ed cursed the hyper-focus that made him forget about it. Luckily, Ed could use his alchemy to refresh the tea and make it almost as good as new. 

He flicked his hair, which was loose around his shoulders. He didn’t mind it down at all, but it was impractical for him. Mustang said that if he wanted to keep his long hair he needed to make sure it didn’t get in the way of when he was fighting.

Mustang always said stuff like that. Ed wasn’t entirely sure why. It’s not like he was stupid. He’s had long hair for as long as he can remember. He knows how to tie it up and keep it out of his way. Ed thought it was kinda weird, but also kinda nice. Mustang was always looking out for him. Now that he thought about it, the entire team was. Especially Hawkeye. Ed liked her a lot. But he for some reason liked Mustang more.

And Ed had especially told himself that he would not be getting attached to any of them. This was just a job to feed his brother and nothing more. And he didn’t trust them at all either. It’s not like they’ve done anything to earn his trust. Well, maybe Hawkeye. She did make sure that Mustang stopped showing up to the office hungover. But Mustang had a part to play in that too. And now Ed knew he wouldn’t do it again. Ed trusted him not to do that again.

Ed hated this all. He was so confused by everything. He even trusted Fuery not to talk about Dublith, as strange as it was. It was such an odd thing for him. Ed had never trusted anyone since Teacher, and yet here he was just handing these people tidbits about his life.

He wasn’t sure how to feel but he did know that nothing bad had happened yet. So maybe he would be able to just, change how he thought of them, just a little. Instead of coworkers, they could be partial friends.

He sighed and clapped his hands, pressing them into the liquid, and the tea was once again warm. Ed used this method a lot since it saved him large amounts of money. He took a sip of the tea and went back into his book.

Only to be pulled out again by a knock on his door. 

Ed grumbled and pulled himself off his chair. He looked through the peephole and took a step back in surprise.

Mustang was standing there, a dripping umbrella in hand, looking quite uncomfortable being in such a dingy building.

Ed clapped his hands and unsealed the door. He kept it closed with alchemy because again, sketchy neighborhood.

“Colonel?”

“Ed-“ he cut himself off. “Fullmetal.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I have something for you. I thought it might interest you and I didn’t want to wait.”

“Oh,” Ed said. “Well, come in I guess.”

Ed stepped back and let Mustang through. He could almost feel the man’s surprise when he saw Ed’s apartment. 

The place was a small studio apartment. Ed had a mattress stuffed in one corner and a table and chair, which he had been sitting at. All of his kitchen appliances, that is, his sink, stove, and small refrigerator, were old and Ed had to fix them with alchemy when he moved in. The rest of the place was stacked with books. Piles of them were stacked neatly around the apartment.

He closed the door behind Mustang and resealed it. Mustang gave him a confused look.

“You seal your door with alchemy?”

“You saw the neighborhood,” Ed shrugged. He didn't elaborate it was an extra layer of defense from all the people from the mafia that would try to target him. there had been more than a few incidents.

Mustang looked like he wanted to say something but he refrained. Ed was glad. He liked Mustang a lot, but he absolutely hated when someone came into his life and started judging the way he lived. He was perfectly fine with it thank you very much.

“You said you have something for me?” Ed prompted.

“Oh right yes.” Mustang reached into his coat and pulled out a package.

Ed took it and carefully tore off the paper. He blinked at what he was holding. It was a book. Ancient Alchemy by Eonian Vinho.

“Well I saw this and I remembered how you knew how to read Xerxesian so I thought you might enjoy it. The author has other books-“

“I know,” Ed cut him off. “I’ve read them all.”

It was kinda funny, watching Mustang’s face fall. For someone who prides himself on being able to hide his emotions, he sure was making it obvious that he had a lot of hope set up in this gift.

“You have?”

“Mhm. How do you think I learned Xerxesian? These actually were the first alchemy books I ever read.”

Mustang blinked in confusion. “What?”

“Well yeah, I mean, the author is kinda my bastard of a father. Wrote all these books and they just littered my house.”

“Your father? But the name isn’t the same?”

“Nope. I have my mom's last name. And besides, Eonian Vinho is a pen name. It’s an anagram of Van Hohenheim. Where’d you find this anyway?”

“A bookstore on Fifth Street.”

“Oh, no shit.”

“Yeah.”

Another clap of thunder shook the already unstable building. 

“Damn,” Mustang muttered. “I walked here.”

Ed cringed. Nobody could pay him enough (that’s a lie he would definitely go outside in the rain if he got paid for it) to walk in the rain. And Mustang did it for free, to give a book to Ed. Huh. That was awfully nice of him. 

Ed stared at the book in his hands. He wondered if Hohenheim would ever do something like that for him. He doubted it. But Mustang had. Ed would’ve done it for Al, and Mustang did it for him.

“You can stay if you don’t wanna walk,” Ed offered. 

Mustang smirked. “Well that you for the offer Ed- Fullmetal.”

Ed rolled his eyes. “Always so formal,” he muttered. 

Mustang’s eyes widened and he looked like Al did when Ed caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to do.

Ed rolled his eyes. He walked over to a pile of books and took the box that sat on top. 

“You wanna play?” He started setting up the pieces on the floor.

“Sure.” Mustang sat across from Ed.

Ed tossed him the white king.

“You’re white.”

Mustang, as it turns out, is very good at chess.

“Huh,” Ed said quietly as Mustang captured his queen. All he had left were pawns and a bishop. And his king.

“You’re not bad,” Mustang commented. “But you’re not very practiced.”

“I used to play with my alchemy teacher’s husband,” Ed said. Sig had always entertained him when he wanted to play. Before that, Ed had taught himself from books. Several researchers from whom he had read had written their notes in code for strategies in chess.

Mustang hummed. “I play with my mentor. I’ve yet to win a game against him.”

Ed moved his bishop across the board to take Mustang’s rook. Mustang countered with his queen. Ed moved his king forward one space.

Mustang frowned at him. “Y’know, you’re just exposing your king like that.” He moved his own bishop into check.

“People often forget that to go after a king they have to be wary of his subordinates.” Ed moved his bishop to take Mustangs.

Mustang glowered at him. “I forgot how fast of a learner you are,” he mumbled to himself.

Ed shrugged. He didn’t think he was a fast learner. He just registered patterns and understood what he was being told. It was a skill, not a talent. Or he thought it was anyway.

Mustang ended up winning the game, but it was rather close between them.

“You’d certainly beat Breda,” Mustang said as he helped Ed put the pieces back in the boxes.

Ed cocked his head to the side. “Breda plays chess?”

“Oh yes. He’s quite good at it too. Nobody in the office ever wants to play with him though.”

“He probably wouldn’t wanna play with me,” Ed said under his breath.

“Give him a chance. He’s mostly tired of winning all the time. You’d certainly give him a run for his money. You should talk to him about it tomorrow.”

Ed blinked. Was Mustang, giving him advice? Now that he thought about it, he’s been giving Ed advice the whole day. Weird. Ed can’t remember the last time someone gave him advice like that.

Mustang stood up. “Well, it sounds like the rain’s stopped. I should be leaving now.”

“Hm? Oh right.” Ed stood and undid the door for him. 

“Thank you, Edward. I had fun today.”

“Me too.” Ed smiled.

Mustang left and Ed closed the door. He walked back to where he had been sitting before his eyes fell on the book.

Mustang went out of his way to buy that for Ed. He saw it and he thought of Ed. Even though Ed had read it before, Mustang had thought Ed would like it.

Ed didn’t think anyone would do that for him. Hohenheim certainly never did. But then again, Mustang wasn’t like Hohenheim in the least.

Ed sat down on his mattress and opened the book. There was a handwritten note on the inside cover.

Edward, 

if you’re going to spend most of your time reading, it might as well be something that interests you. Then again, I bet you’re the only person who can fluently read Xerxesian. You’ll have to teach me sometime. 

-Mustang 

No, Ed decided. Mustang was much better than Hohenheim.

Chapter Text

Heymans Breda was a man who didn’t need much, nor did he have much. But he was satisfied with what he did have and that was good enough for him. He went to work on Monday through Friday, he went on dates about once a month, he went to church every Sunday then joined his parents and sister’s family for the rest of the day for a nice dinner home cooked by his entire family.

His Sunday ritual was of great importance to him. He was a religious man through and through. He didn’t talk about it much at work, considering his boss is an alchemist and they don’t believe in a higher power, but that was a preference and Heymans respected it immensely. 

So when a little atheist alchemist strutted into the office, Heymans thought it would be much of the same.

That is until the kid swore to Truth.

The circumstance wasn’t an odd one. A few weeks into the military and the kid had attracted a lot of attention. Nobody was surprised when some small dicked corporal tried to talk shit to Edward. 

And they were even less surprised to find that Edward kicked the man in his small dick with his left leg.  

Edward had grumbled about it in the office to an intrigued Hawkeye and Mustang. 

“These guys all think they can pick on me! I swear to Truth I’ve seen more of hell than they ever have! What gives them the fucking right!”

“Sometimes,” Mustang had mused. “People see something smaller than them and can’t help to bully it.”

“Don’t I know it? And I may be smaller than them but damn if I'm gonna let them kick me around.”

“That’s the spirit Edward,” Hawkeye said. 

It struck Heymans right there what the kid had said. Truth. 

Any normal person would make that exclamation to God. Like an “I swear to God". But Edward hadn’t. Heymans knew the kid was quirky, but that one statement irked him in ways he couldn’t exactly place, or ignore. So much so that it made Heymans put down his lunch and not pick it up again.

It felt, wrong. The way Edward said that. As if Truth was some type of a god. But the truth is a concept and not a being, so how could the kid treat it as such?

As far as Heymans was concerned, there was only one form of God. He was living in all things, accepted all people for who they truly are, and shunned out all who disrespected another. It was following that way that Heymans had been able to love his sister without a second thought after she came out to him and married a woman. They all followed that belief and it had carried them up to this point in their lives.

Now Heymans just didn’t know how to feel about Edward.

Soon, he did get used to it enough. The kid’s exclamations were easy to tolerate as time went on. He taught himself that the kid could say whatever he wanted, as long as he wasn't hurting anybody.

So four months after the kid first joined up, they were all having a conversation about religion, just to pass the time.

“Breda,” Fuery said. “You’re religious right?”

“Yeah. I was raised on it.”

“Then maybe you can tell the colonel just why atheism is pointless,” Havoc continued.

“It’s not pointless! There’s no hard evidence to prove the existence of a god. If God was real, explain literally every bad thing that’s ever happened,” Mustang shot back.

The door opened and Edward walked in. He let out a small squeak as Havoc slung an arm around him. “Say Chief, what’s your thing with religion? I know you’re an alchemist, so science and all that but you were also raised in the country, and religion is mighty important there.”

“You askin’ me if I believe in God?”

“Yeah,” Fuery said.

“‘Course I don’t. I know he’s real, but I’m not a big fan of his work.” Edward waved his arm around for emphasis. 

“What do you mean he’s real?” Falman asked. “Wasn’t that from…” he trailed off as Mustang shot him a deadly look.

“Yeah, human transmutation. That’s when he took it. Snatched it right from my body after showing me it. ”

“Do I wanna know what it is?” Mustang asked.

Edward’s face became blank and dazed. “The truth about everything. It’s like a brain overload. He stuffs so much information into your brain. You can’t think and you can hardly process it. But it’s there.”

Heymans watched as the brought his hands to his hair and shook his head.

“But it’s not enough and you need to do more so to have more you pay another toll and he takes your arm and you see it again and it hurts but then you finally understand that it’s not possible. That it never was possible and you lost two of your limbs just to find that out but you know so much more and you can’t unlearn it and you can’t regrow new limbs and you’re stuck and-“ he cut himself off and started to hyperventilate.

Mustang made a small sad noise. He went and kneeled on one knee in front of Edward and took the kid's hand from his hair. He whispered soft words and gradually, Edward’s breathing evened out and he became much calmer.

There weren’t tears in his eyes, but there was fear and Heymans watched as he tried to get away from Mustang as he became more aware of what went on his eyes darted around the office looking for an escape. He tried to run back but Havoc still had his arm wrapped around the kid’s shoulders 

When the door opened and Hawkeye walked in, the escape route clearly made itself. Edward jerked his automail arm back and elbowed Havoc in the gut. The kid darted under Hawkeye’s arm and dashed out the door.

“Edward?” She asked.

“Shit,” Mustang swore. “You alright Havoc?”

“Just go get the kid,” Havoc coughed.

Heymans was already up and out of his seat. Someone needed to bring that kid brought back here before he disassociated so much that he got hit by a car. Heymans stalked through the halls of Central Command looking for every place the kid might be. He pretty much just followed the tour path he had given four months ago when the kid first joined. 

At least now that they had some sort of explanation, the kid saying Truth all the time made more sense. Truth was a god of sorts. And he screwed Edward over big time. Giving that kid more trauma in his eleven years than anyone should ever get in a lifetime. 

Yeah. It was no wonder that kid, and alchemists, in general, didn’t like religion. And that wrongness Heymans had felt whenever Edward mentioned Truth was making a lot more sense.

An idea suddenly formed in Heymans’ head and he quickly changed the direction he was going in to head to the training grounds. And there he was. Sparring against himself. His jackets were off and on the floor, leaving him in a tank top. His arm was in full view. 

Heymans watched for a moment. Edward finished his fighting and collapsed onto his back, his arms and legs splayed out around him.

Heymans walked over, his hands in his pockets and his posture as relaxed and non-threatening as he could make it. Edward watched his approach and didn’t say anything as he sat down.

“Sorry,” Edward said quietly. 

“For what?” Heymans said back. “You shouldn’t apologize for your trauma.”

“It’s not trauma. It’s just…a bad memory.”

Heymans didn’t let that deter him. It wasn’t his job to be the kid's therapist. 

“You know, religion has been my excuse for just about everything in my life.”

“Religion is for the weak who can’t make their own decisions,” Edward said as if he was repeating something he’s told himself on repeat. 

“Yeah,” Heymans agreed. “Humans are weak. We put faith in something we don’t even have proof of.”

“For what? It can’t do anything.”

“Nope. The only things that happen are things caused by real people.” It was a baseline fact Heymans had always believed. Faith was nice but being in the military had taught him that even if there was a god, (and there was) and a reason for everything, bad things still happened.

Edward frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to worship things like that?”

“People suck. I have faith so I can have hope. Not everyone is strong enough to believe in themselves so much that they don’t need anything guiding them.”

“I don’t have time for faith or waiting. I’ve never gotten the chance. Things happen too fast and when I tried to slow them down they sped up. Can’t go against the grain.”

“Nope. But you can punch it in the fucking face.”

Edward sat up and gave Heymans a curious look.

He shrugged. “It helps. Just punching your problems. Nobody else is helping you out, certainly not some god. Especially if you don’t believe in Him. So what can you do but punch them in the face?”

Edward cracked a smile at that.

“And it’s a good thing you’ve got a metal fist to do it with.”

“Yeah. Fuck Truth.”

Heymans reached out and rubbed the kid’s head. “Yeah.” He stood up and offered Edward a hand. He took it and Heymans hauled him up. Edward grabbed his coat and jacket and they went back to the office. When they walked in Mustang watched Edward with nothing short of relief. 

Heymans walked over to Falman and leaned into his ear. “Better put religion on that list.”

Falman took out his notebook with the list of things they shouldn’t talk about around Edward. Religion was already on it.

“One step ahead of you.”

Heymans clapped the man on the shoulder and looked over to where Mustang and Edward were talking with Hawkeye. Mustang glanced up and caught Heymans’ eye and shot him a grateful smile. Heymans just shrugged and nodded in response. 

After all, he hadn’t done much. Although, it helped, being to understand the kid a bit more.

Chapter Text

Alphonse Elric had grown up loved by a total of five people. Winry, Granny, Teacher, and Sig. And Edward Elric. He was probably the one who loved Al the most. Al didn’t have parents. Eddie always said that their mom died shortly after Al was born. And that they’d never had a dad. To Al, that was okay. Al didn’t need parents. Al had his big brother. Eddie always took care of Al from the moment he was born. Eddie was an ever-constant presence in Al’s life. Even now, that Eddie had joined the military. He still wrote and called every day, just like he promised. 

Al ran home from school every day so he could call his big brother. He stopped often though, to admire the changing colors of the fall trees. The bright yellows and reds and oranges brought a smile to Al’s face. When Eddie would walk him to and from school, they would always stop and look at the trees, then go home and make big piles of leaves.

Then he picked up his favorite leaf from the ground, continued to run home, and when he called Eddie, he described the leaf the best he could.

Eddie always listened to him. He listened to Al go through his day, the praises he’d gotten from his teacher for being such a clever boy, his friends laughing with him at lunch, and how he greeted all the townspeople with bright smiles and kind waves.

Eddie always said how proud he was to have such a good little brother.

Al would say that it’s because he has a good older brother, the best in fact.

Eddie would change the subject too quickly. 

And he never talked about himself. He was always asking about Al or Winry of Granny, but he never wanted to talk about the big important military work he was doing.

That didn’t mean Al didn’t know though. Radios did exist, even if they only got a few channels. Not to mention, the one day a week in school when they learned about current events. It was because they had kids of all ages in the same class since Resembool was such a small town. 

One of the discussions turned to the new state alchemist, the Fullmetal Alchemist, taking down a big group of bad people who killed other people. When Al told Eddie about that, Eddie got really quiet.

But sometimes, Eddie did talk about himself. But only when Al asked the right questions.

“Brother!” Al said excitedly into the receiver. 

“Hm? What up Al?” Eddie’s voice, strangled from the poor connection and distance asked.

“How's Mr. Hughes?”

“Oh! he’s real good. He actually asked me to babysit his daughter.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. You’d like her Al. She liked to play the game you made up.”

“The Princess Eddie game?”

“That’s the one.”

“Oh wow! Do you think we could play together sometime?”

From the other line, Eddie laughed. “Maybe. I think you two would get along great!”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

There were a couple of muffled noises from the other line.

“Eddie?”

“Sorry Al. There’s an emergency. I gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Eddie hung up his line. Al looked at the receiver in his hand and sighed.

“Al?” Winry asked. She was carrying a box of automail parts. “What’s wrong?”

“Brother said there was an emergency.” Al looked up at Winry. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“Don’t worry.” She shifted the box to one arm and ruffled his hair with her now free hand. “Ed’s tough. He’ll be fine.”

“But what if he’s not?”

“Then he’ll still be okay because Ed would never leave you alone like that.”

Al nodded.

The next day at school was Current Events day. A student named Rick asked about something he’d heard on the radio the night before.

“I heard the Fullmetal Alchemist fought a bunch of bad guys! The news said that they’re all bad people who kill other people!”

“That’s not true!” A blonde girl named Shirley piped up. “All the military people are bad and kill people! Like in the war! If you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world is the same.”

“Hey Al,” another girl named Ruby asked. “Isn’t your brother in the military?”

All heads in the room turned to Al. He tried not to squirm under their scrutiny. “Well, yeah. But brother never kills anyone. He just stops them from hurting other people.”

“All military dogs kill people! You’re only five so you wouldn’t know!” Shirley said. 

“Well you’re only eight so what do you know!” Al fired back. “Brother would never kill somebody!”

“They all kill people!” Rick shouted.

“No!”

“Face it, Al!” Shirley put her hands on her hips. “You’re the little brother of a killer!”

“Yeah!” Rick called. “Soon he’ll go to war! Like Ishval!”

The teacher gasped. “Rick! We don’t say things like that!”

“But it’s true! My mom said that all state alchemists have to go and fight in wars and kill people! Just like the Hero of Ishval! You don’t become a state alchemist unless you’re gonna kill people!”

“That’s it! We don’t talk about Ishval. Rick go sit outside!”

Rick went pouting the whole way.

Throughout the rest of school, kids looked at Al and whispered about his brother being a killer. Al bit his lip to hold back the tears. His brother never cried. Eddie was always holding back his tears for Al’s sake.

So when school was let out, Al ran. Not to Winry and Granny’s house, but to his own. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He used the spare key to unlock the door to his house and he pushed it open. In the six months since Eddie had joined the military, Al had started living with Winry and Granny full-time. He hadn’t been back in his own house. It was big and empty and he hated being there without Eddie.

But right now, he didn’t wanna face anyone. Al wanted to be alone. Most of all, he wanted to know the truth. His brother wasn’t a killer, Al knew that. It had come from a conversation Al couldn’t help but overhear when Eddie was speaking with Granny about joining the military. 

“Boy, I don’t want to hear about you getting sent off to war. We all know what the dogs of the military were made to do in Ishval,” Granny said.

“I know Granny. Don’t worry. I’m not about to let Al’s big brother become a killer.”

So Al knew that Eddie wasn’t a killer. He knew that his brother would never murder someone, with alchemy or otherwise. 

Al walked through the dusty halls of his home. The pictures that lined the walls were that of Eddie and Winry and Uncle Yurey and Aunt Sara and Granny and Mom. There were some other ones too, of just Eddie and Al, sometimes with Winry, sometimes without.

Al always loved looking at those pictures. He loved looking at how much his big brother had grown through the years. He stared at one that was taken before. Eddie still had his arms and legs and they were showcased by his tank top and shorts. His and Al’s hair was dripping wet since they had spent hours playing in the creek.

Al didn’t know what happened to make Eddie lose his arm and leg. He knew it happened the night that he sent Al away to have a sleepover at Granny’s with Winry. And that night, Eddie’s anguished scream had cut through the hills of their countryside. Winry and Granny had left, only to come back with his brother. They didn’t let Al see, yelling at the then four-year-old to stay in his room until they told him it was okay to come out.

The next day, they explained to Al that Eddie had been attacked by some wild animals. And his arm and leg were so messed up they had to take them off him. Al had gone to visit his brother in his bed. He was staying in one of the clinic rooms.

Even then, Eddie didn’t cry even once. 

No, instead, Al watched his brother sit in complete silence for two days before requesting that Winry make him automail.

Al sat quietly as Eddie put himself through agony. He was spitting up blood and yet, even after a day of intensive physical therapy, he would still sit and read to Al, just like he’s been doing since Al was a baby.

His brother was always the same, and the accident never changed that.

Al continued through the hall and down the stairs. There was a door, that Al knew led to the study. It was a huge study, with bookshelves that traced back further than one would ever expect. Eddie had explained to him one day that the room had been expanded with alchemy. Al put his hand on the handle but didn’t open the door. He knew it wouldn’t work. Eddie had sealed the room with alchemy long ago.

“It’s to keep people out. It’s a dangerous room, Al. If you wanna book from here tell me, and I’ll get it, okay?”

Al hadn’t ever wanted a book from the study. He didn’t even know what half its contents were. But he knew that Eddie didn’t want anyone going into the room and Al trusted and respected his big brother enough to listen. 

Al’s stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten at lunchtime, the whispering of his classmates drilling holes into his brain that wore down any appetite he could have had.

But if there was anything that could make him eat, it was Eddie’s cooking. It was such a familiar and warm flavor that Al craved on days when he missed his brother. The laughter they shared at mealtimes was entirely different than the normal laughter they shared.

Slowly Al went back upstairs. The sun was setting fast and it occurred to Al just how long he had been in here. But still, he didn’t want to leave yet. Despite the alarming amount of time he and Eddie had spent in the Rockbell's house, this, the home where Eddie had raised Al on his own, was their house. Eddie lived in every room and every corner. All around Al, there were memories of how he had spent his first five years.

Al missed Eddie terribly. When Al was able to see Eddie in Central after getting lost, there was a sense of comfort inside of Al that he couldn’t ever feel if his big brother wasn’t there.

Al went up to what used to be his and his brother’s bedroom.

“Al, listen. You can’t sleep with me. You have your own bed!” Eddie had tried to tell Al when he was young.

“No! I wanna sweep wit bruthr!” 

Al had only been two at the time, but he had picked up on how stubborn Eddie was and it became a trait of his own.

Al was startled when he heard the phone ringing from downstairs. He went to go answer it, pushing a chair from the dining table so he could reach the wall phone.

“Hello?” He picked up the receiver.

“Oh thank Truth. Alphonse.”

“Brother!”

“What are you doing Alphonse? Why are you in our house? Winry and Granny are freaking out right now.”

Al sniffed as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Hey? Al? What’s wrong?”

And just like that, all the tears Al had been holding in all day broke free. He sobbed into the phone as he relayed the events of his day. 

“Oh Al,” Eddie said softly. 

“And-and-and I got scared. Cause now they all think you’re an awful person who kills other people! And I know you’d never!”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

“They said you were like the Hero of Ishval.”

“I know the Hero of Ishval. He’s my boss. And to tell you the truth, he’s got the most boring personality of anyone in the military. But that’s not the point.”

“I..what?”

“Al, we both know I wouldn’t kill anyone. Anyone important knows I wouldn’t kill anyone. Don’t let those other kids scare you into saying such complete and utter bullshit.”

Al gave a watery giggle. “That’s a bad word, Brother."

“Yeah? And I give you full permission to say that to their faces if they bother you again.”

“Brother!” Al gasped, but he was laughing. 

“Al listen to me. I don’t want you to let people like this get to you. They don’t know anything. They just listen to their parents for their information.”

“But they’re older.”

“And you’re the smartest kid in that whole room. Don’t let those nobodies put you down.”

“I promise.”

“Good. Now go back with Winry and Granny. I bet they’re worried sick.”

“Okay, Eddie. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Al hung up the phone and got off the chair. He went through the back door, the same way he’d come, and made sure to lock it behind him. He slowly made his way down the hill to the Rockbell’s house.

He got to the divide that split the paths to the two houses when a familiar barking caught his attention. He looked up in time to see Den barreling down the path toward him.

“Gah!” Al shouted as Den licked his face all over.

“Alphonse!” Winry called. She ran up the path. “What were you thinking running off like that!”

“I wanted to be alone,” Al said quietly.

“Al.” Winry smoothed her skirt down and sat next to him. “Did something happen?”

“The kids at school said mean things about Brother.”

“Al I’m sorry. None of them are true.”

“That’s what Brother said when I told him.”

“Ed called you?”

“Mhm. But don’t worry. I’m not gonna listen to those bullies.”

The next day when Al walked into the classroom, the other kids stared at him.

“Look!” Shirley jeered. “It’s the killer’s brother!”

Al gave her the angriest glare he could muster and thought about what his big brother would say. “Good luck doing all your homework without me.” He walked to his seat and took out an advanced medical textbook he had taken from the Rockbell house.

The entire class burst out into laughter at a five-year-old doing the homework of an eight-year-old and the issue was more or less forgotten. 

Al was glad that his snarky comeback worked. He patted the wrench he had taken from Winry that was stowed in his bag.

Maybe next time.

Chapter Text

Riza watched Edward out of the corner of her eye. His leg was bouncing up and down anxiously as he read his book. And it was his automail leg, meaning a rattling filled the office. He was concentrating on a book that was on his desk looking back and forth between that and his journal. He muttered to himself in a language Riza was sure wasn’t Amestrian. 

Riza looked at the other men. They were all staring at him in various degrees of annoyance. Havoc especially had a crushed cigarette in his hand and looked two seconds away from throwing it. Fuery was mostly tuning it out in favor of trying to fix his radio equipment after it got damaged on their last field mission.

Deciding it was best to stop the noise before one of the men snapped Riza took a deep breath. “Edward.”

Edward stopped muttering and looked up, but his leg was still shaking. “Yeah, Lieutenant?”

“Do be mindful of those around you.”

Edward looked around. “Huh?”

“Well Ed,” Fuery said. “It’s just that, um, I think there’s a screw loose in your automail. It keeps rattling.”

Riza raised an eyebrow at Fuery’s attempt to soften the annoyance they were all suffering through.

“Oh? Guess I’ll check it later. Sorry about that!” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Riza blinked in surprise. She didn’t think that actually would have worked. Edward went back to his work and the matter seemed settled.

Until fifteen minutes later when his leg started bouncing again, and the rattling came with it.

It was another fifteen minutes before Havoc got up from his desk. “I'm going for a smoke break!” He declared and walked out of the office.

Riza’s sharp eyes caught Edward's flinching and the way he froze. Instead of looking back and forth between his book and journal, he just stared blankly ahead at it. Riza winced. The boy was so skittish, even after the six months he’s been working for them.

He turned to her. “Lieutenant, do you mind if I go fix my leg? I didn’t mean to bother everyone.”

Riza nodded. “That should be fine.” He had gotten everyone’s grievance from one man’s reaction?

Edward pushed himself up from his desk and walked out of the office.

“That was uncalled for,” Breda frowned as the door clicked shut behind Edward. 

“He’s still so tense around us,” Fuery said sadly. “I wish there was a way to get him more comfortable.”

The door opened again and Havoc came back in just as Falman spoke.

“He hasn’t had anyone to look out for him for a long time. It’s going to take a bit for him to get used to the idea that he can rely on someone else.”

“Maybe we could take him out somewhere?” Fuery suggested. 

“You guys talking about the chief?” Havoc asked.

“Yeah. But all of our usual places involve drinking,” Breda argued. “Where would we take him?”

“One of our houses maybe?” Falman looked around at them.

“Well,” Riza said slowly. “Your apartment is too small, Fuery, Havoc, and Breda live in the barracks, and my apartment is also too small, on top of Black Hayate. We don’t know how he feels about dogs.”

“Kid loves ‘em,” Havoc volunteered. “He told me that his mechanics have a dog and it was nice to have a dog nearby during all that. He didn’t say outright that he likes dogs, but the look on his face did.”

“But the size issue,” Fuery said with a sigh.

“Well,” Breda said slowly. “There is one of us who has a pretty big place.”

All five pairs of eyes drifted over to where the Colonel’s office door sat closed.

“Yes,” Riza agreed. “That should work nicely.”

The men had elected Riza to discuss it with the Colonel because they were scaredy-cats. So when Falman was distracting Edward by taking him to the cafeteria, Riza entered the office and the remaining men pressed their ears to the door to eavesdrop on the conversation. 

“Sir,” she said as she entered, leaving the door open just a sliver. 

“Hawkeye! I’m doing my work I swear!” The colonel held up a pen as if to prove a point.

“That’s not what I’m here for sir. I have I matter I’d like to discuss with you.”

He sat up straighter. “What is it?”

“It’s about Edward.”

“Oh?”

“It’s come to our attention that Edward, while being here for six months, still seems rather uncomfortable around the team.”

“Well, that is to be expected with the kind of life he’s lived. But I take it you have a plan for this?”

“Yes sir. We’re having a small get-together outside of work hours.”

His face split into a soft smile. “That’s great! When and where?”

“Saturday afternoon, on nineteen forty-five, Wallaby Way.”

“That’s a great idea Hawkeye. You and the men came up with it?”

“Yes sir.”

She waited for it to click with him. It took a total of ten seconds before his face morphed into shock and horror.

“Hawkeye!” He exclaimed.

“Make sure you tidy up sir.”

On Saturday afternoon Riza rang the doorbell of the colonel’s house. She had given Falman a ride and Fuery, Havoc, and Breda had ridden together. The colonel opened the door, dressed in a typical casual dress shirt and slacks. He narrowed his eyes at them. “What are you all doing here? Where’s Ed?”

Riza pretended not to notice how the colonel had completely given up calling Ed by his title, codename, or anything remotely related that could keep a wall between the two.

“I’m picking him up later. I thought it best to have a meeting before we start, just to cover some rules and such. And, while I’m getting Edward, they’re going to check your work.”

The colonel stepped back and let them all in. “You don’t think I can clean my own home?” He asked her, sounding offended.

“I think you are perfectly capable,” she said. “But a fresh pair of eyes never hurt anyone.”

“Uh-huh. And what’s Hayate doing here?” He eyed the little black and white dog that was standing between her legs.

“I’m told Edward is fond of dogs.”

The colonel chuckled. “That sounds about right.”

They walked to the living room where the others were already settled, having all been in the house before. It was a modest space, probably too big for the colonel by himself but much less than he could afford with his pension. All of the furniture was leather (Riza knew Maes picked it out because the colonel had no taste when he first purchased the home) and through the living room, they could see the kitchen and dining area on one side, and a staircase up the other. In the corner of the living room was a piano, a gift from the colonel’s foster mother, since she had been the one to teach him how to play. He was quite good, entrancing Riza with his skill on more than one occasion. 

“So,” Riza said as the colonel sat on the couch next to Havoc. “The purpose of this get-together is to hopefully get Edward more comfortable around us. At the very least interact with us a bit more. To do so we’ll be dropping all formalities and titles, not just this time but any time out of the office. Don’t be cruel with jokes and respect his boundaries. And as always, stay away from the topics on The List.”

“Sir!” They all said. 

She nodded, satisfied, and left with Hayate at her heels to go retrieve Edward.

Riza was the only person other than Roy who knew where Edward lived. She drove him on numerous occasions when it was raining, but sometimes he told her she didn’t have to worry and that someone else would take him. Riza didn’t like that, but he always got to work on time and dry, so she didn’t say anything. 

So when she pulled up in front of his rather shabby apartment building and she saw Edward getting out of another person’s car, she wondered where he had been. She rolled the window down so she could talk to him. Instead, she heard the end of a snippet of a conversation carried out in fluent Cretan between Edward and whoever was still in the car.

He froze when he saw her car. He walked up to her and leaned into her window. 

“Lieutenant? Um sorry, I mean Riza?” He amended when he saw her frown. After months of letting him call her by her given name out of office, he still wasn’t completely used to it. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“We’re having a little get-together at the colonel’s house. I came to pick you up.”

“What’s this for?”

She shrugged. “Just for fun. Nobody else had anything to do.”

“Alright. At the very least there’ll be food.”

He opened the door and sat in the car. Hayate came up from the backseat and settled in the boy’s lap. Whether he realized it or not, Edward started scratching the little dog’s ears.

“Were you doing something important?” Riza asked, curious about who’s car he was in.

“Hm? Not really. Just met with a friend. He needed some help with,” he paused. “Something.”

“I see. It’s good to see you getting to know the people in your neighborhood.”

For some reason, that made him smile.

“Edward, I need to let you know. Since this is an out-of-office get-together, you don’t have to be formal with the others.” She said this, but the only people he addressed by their ranks were her and the colonel. 

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes don’t worry about it. It’s a casual thing so there’s no need for formalities.”

“If you say so.”

Twenty minutes later, she pulled into Roy’s driveway. 

“This is where the colonel lives?” Edward scrutinized the place.

Riza got out of the car and Edward followed her with Black Hayate. She opened the door and let him inside first. 

“Edward,” Roy greeted. Of course, the others called to him too but the boy was looking first and foremost toward Roy. “I’m glad you could come.”

“Yeah, well it’s a good thing I didn’t have plans. With this being last minute and not scheduled at all.”

Roy’s face went blank then he smiled. “Yes, it is quite good.”

Jean and Vato started talking to Edward, but Riza could tell he was mostly confused by the attention they were giving him. He sat on the stool to the piano and was holding Black Hayate in his arms as he talked.  

He leaned an arm on the piano and hit the keys, bringing all conversations to a halt.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry about it,” Roy said with a shake of his head. “I hardly use it anymore.”

“You should play!” Kain suggested. He sent a look at Ed that Riza guessed meant he knew something about Ed that the rest of them did not.

“I don’t know,” Roy said carefully. He looked around at them and the whole team was watching him with eager faces. “You’re not letting this go, are you?”

“Nope.” Jean stretched back and kicked his legs up on the coffee table. “You should just accept it.”

“Feet off the table Jean. Were you raised in a barn?”

“Yogel is close enough to being one.”

“Yogel?” Ed asked. 

Jean nodded. “It’s my hometown. Pretty southeastern from here.”

“Yeah, it’s got mostly mines, doesn’t it?”

Riza blinked. She hadn’t expected Ed to have knowledge of where Jean grew up.

“How’d you know that Chief?” Heymans asked.

“It’s an alchemy hot spot. Or at least it was fifty years ago. The alchemist that made it big was arrested for tax evasion, publicly anyway, the actual reason was that he was doing illegal transmutations. Since then it’s lost a lot of population and now it’s just a small town with mines that make most of the revenue."

“I didn’t even know that and I’ve lived my whole life there!”

Ed shrugged. “It was in a report in the records room.”

“You’ve been to the records room?” Vato raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, the library gets boring. I like to add a little spice sometimes.” The kid smirked. “Anyway.” He turned to Roy. “You gonna play or what?”

“Fine.” Roy matched his smirk. “But get up so I can actually sit.”

Ed complied and walked to stand next to Riza, who was settled on the end of the couch.

“Any requests?”

“What about Stone Stepping?” Kain suggested. 

Riza caught Ed’s flinch.

“Hmmm. It’s been a while since I’ve last played that one, but let’s see.”

Roy struck up the tune on the instrument. Riza hid how the sight and sound of Roy at the keys struck a chord with her, resonating all the way back when they were children. He had used alchemy to fix her mother’s old piano and played this very song for her. 

Next to Riza, Edward was staring intensely at Roy. His fingers were moving in Black Hayate’s fur but Riza didn’t know if he was petting the dog strangely or if it was another concentration method of his.

When Roy finished the song, everyone but Ed applauded. He had a deep frown set on his face.

“What’s wrong Ed?” Roy teased. “Didn’t like the song?”

“I would’ve,” the blond scoffed. “If you had played it right. You messed up at measure ten, and changed the harmony for the last four lines.”

“I...what?”

“Here.” Ed stood up and placed Hayate on the ground. He stepped next to Roy and placed his gloved hand on the keys. “Measure ten is supposed to go like this.” He played a few notes on the keys. “And the harmony.” Ed played the last part of the song again. His fingers moved nimbly across the keys, practiced and almost as if were a muscle memory. “So when you put it all together.”

Edward put his other hand, his automail hand, onto the keys as well. He played the same song, however, it sounded completely different. And as the song went on, Riza realized he was doing something that Roy hadn't been doing. But it wasn't that exactly. it was more like Ed had something Roy didn't. Because Ed’s face was alight with passion. He was grinning from ear to ear as he moved his fingers back and forth and his eyes shone like liquid gold. This was a side of him she’s never seen before.

This, she guessed, was Ed from before his mother died. 

That childlike wonder. The joy. His bangs hung over his eyes but not in a dark way. Quite the opposite.

There was no sadness to this Edward Elric. No hollow words or empty stares. Just, a feeling of peace and joy. An entirely different Edward with an entirely different disposition.

Riza wanted to look at the faces of the other men in the room, but she couldn’t bring herself to take her eyes off the boy. She knew, deep inside of her, that if she looked away, she would never see him again. Not as he was now.

But it seemed that all too soon, the song was over. Edward played the last note and stared at the keyboard in a trance, almost as if he forgot where he was and who he was with.

“That,” he said quietly. “Is how it’s supposed to go.”

Riza snuck a glance at the others in the room. Vato was gaping, Heymans was watching the boy with something akin to pride, Kain was rubbing his eyes as if he wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was real, and Jean had gone a bit misty-eyed.

Roy was staring at Edward, gobsmacked. Riza knew that out of all of them, he was the most shocked. Probably because of his musically attuned ear, and the ability it gave him to really listen to a piece. And that, even Riza knew, was pretty damn good.

“What’re you staring at me for?” Ed asked, looking between the faces of all of them.

“That,” Roy said in an awed voice. “Was the most amazing rendition of that song I’ve ever heard.”

And Ed beamed. Not a smirk or a grin, but an honest-to-Truth smile. He was proud of himself. Riza didn’t think she’d ever seen such emotion from the boy.

“Really? Thanks, Mustang! Mom taught it to me and I used to play it with her like, ten times a day! I mixed with the melodies and harmonies all the time until I got that, and it’s just in my head. It was her favorite version.”

Riza blinked in shock. Never had she heard Edward willingly talk about his mother in front of them. It was even on The List, after witnessing him beat a corporal to a bloody pulp when he unknowingly made an insulting mother joke to the boy.

“It’s very beautiful. You’ve kept the traditional historical elements of the song but you’ve improved the flow and timing, as well as the melodies and harmonies.”

Ed preened. “Yeah! That’s what I was trying to do!”

“You did an excellent job.”

And for the rest of the day, Edward wore that smile. He talked with each of the team members openly and honestly. He asked about their interests and cracked jokes. They played games of chess and cards. Ed was eager to play against Heymans.

Their party lasted well into the night and soon, Edward was laying flat on his back on the couch, with a hand on his stomach pushing up his shirt. His breathing was soft and sound and his expression was at peace.

One by one, the team members trickled off, having places to be and plans for the next day. Soon, it was only Riza and Roy left. They sat in the armchair together, with their arms wrapped around each other watching the blond sleep.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen him so happy,” Roy said quietly.

“And hopefully not the last,” she hummed.

“I think this plan of yours was a success.”

Riza nodded. “Yes. I think so too.”

They sat there so a little while longer. it was so rare they got to openly be physically affectionate with each other.

“Do you want to stay the night?” Roy asked. "It's rather late and there can be some crazy drivers at this time of night.

“I’d love to, but someone has to take him home.”

Roy glanced over at the kid. “I don’t think that’s happening any time soon. Even if you get him to his apartment, he keeps his door locked with alchemy.”

Riza supposed that made sense. She had seen his neighborhood. Frankly, she would be more worried if he didn’t take precautions.

“Besides,” Roy continued. “He’s more than welcome here anytime.”

Riza nodded. “Then I have no reason to go."

“Glad to hear it.”

Riza was relieved that the plan had been so successful. Edward seemed wholly more comfortable with the team as a whole.

And if on Monday, Ed called them all by their first names still?

Well nobody had a problem with that at all.

Chapter Text

Ed physically shuddered. He hated, absolutely hated with a passion, mine inspections. He liked Mustang, but sometimes he thought that the man was doing his best to keep Ed out of the office by sending him on these tedious tasks. Though, at least he wasn’t alone this time. The colonel was requested as well, being a large mining town they were in, so Riza had come along too. She and Ed were looking at this next mine.

They stood at the entrance and a draft of cold air blew out from the inside of the mine. Hopefully, Riza would think his shudders of displeasure were from the cold. Not that he wasn’t cold. It was early November in the northern region of Central, so of course, it would be cold.

There were words that were painted across the top and around the entrance. They were all warnings like “turn back” or “enter at your own risk” that Ed couldn't figure out if it was graffiti or an actual warning.

“Apparently,” Riza said. “There’s been a man in here that’s been entering and exiting the mine. Locals have reported sounds of transmutations coming from all the mines in the area. This is their biggest mine out of the twenty-four that the town had made into its main profit source.”

“And they all have the same thing?”

“They’re all rich in silver, though there have been some convoluted reports of other things like topaz, diamond, sapphires, and rubies.”

Ed walked forward to feel the side of the mine. It was one of the perks of being him, child genius extraordinaire, as well as having taken two trips to the gate. He had an excellent sense of what elements were in and where and the quality of the object he was dealing with. He closed his eyes and moved his flesh hand back and forth along the wall. “Not enough carbon. Not enough aluminum oxide. No silicate.”

“Edward?”

Ed took his hand off the wall and shook his head. “They’re wrong. There aren’t the right elements or pressure for those. Silver is all there is. But this rock..”

“Is there something wrong with it?”

“It’s definitely been alchemized. Not well, but it has been. It makes me wonder about the integrity of the mine.” There was another strong breeze and she shivered again.

“Are you alright Ed?”

Ed looked up at her. Her bright brown eyes were looking at him with concern. Ed ignored the warm feeling inside of him that grew and spread whenever either Roy or Riza showed anything resembling concern or care for him. He chalked it up to being not used to having adults around, and not any of the other options.

“I’m fine Riza. We should hurry though.”

“Any particular reason?”

“I hate mine inspections.”

She gave a small laugh and they entered the mine. There was a string of lanterns lighting their way giving the place a dim glow. 

“We’re looking for what exactly?” Riza asked.

“Anything that’s not supposed to be in a silver mine.”

“What is supposed to be?”

“Sulfur, arsenic, antimony, or chlorine,” Ed explained ticking each item off his fingers. “So basically, if I find something. Sorry, Riza. I don’t actually know why you’re here if this is an alchemist's job.”

He paused as Riza unhooked one of the lanterns on the wall to carry. “It is odd. But I suspect the colonel has his reasons. Either way, it's better to have company.”

“Yeah,” Ed agreed. “I don’t like quiet.” He said this, but he wasn’t much for words and he knew Riza wasn’t either. He cringed at his own poor word choice.

They continued on and the mine started to slope downward. There was a large opening ahead of them and they walked through. Ed sharply inhaled at the sight before him. He had never seen a mine like this. It was huge, going down what must have been five stories. There was a narrow path carved out of the stone that led to the bottom. Wooden braces and beams made platforms at different heights and locations along the wall.

“Silver’s at the bottom,” Ed muttered. He looked up to Riza who was looking over the edge, likely gauging the drop. 

She looked up and eyed the other platforms. “It’s not on the platforms?”

“Nah. See the divots in the stone?”

She held the lantern aloft and squinted her eyes before nodding slowly.

“That’s where they dug. They started at the top to get the ore in the deposit they found. When the silver didn’t stop, neither did they.”

“What stopped them?”

“That’s our job to find out.” Ed descended the slope and Riza held the lantern above them both. 

The platforms were well-built at the very least. They looked like they could support the weight of some very heavy silver and at least a few miners.

“It smells like death,” Riza commented. 

Ed knew that smell. It smelled like his basement after the transmutation. With the blood and what he had turned his mother into. He cringed. “Yeah. Miners probably die in here all the time,” Ed conceded. “They just get replaced by the next in line though.”

“It’s such a dangerous job.”

Ed scoffed. “You got that right. Even if they don’t die before they get too old to haul rocks for twelve hours a day, seven days a week, the toxic metals and elements in the air poison their lungs and kill them.”

“You’re rather knowledgeable on the subject,” she sounded more amused than disturbed. 

“Well, I read a section on it.”

“Of a book?”

“Of the library. I was hoping it would have stuff on alchemy. It didn’t.”

“There’s an alchemy section of the library you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I read that one first.”

“Ah. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who’s read more alchemy books than you.”

He turned around to look at her. A small smile was on her lips.

“Not even Mustang?”

“Not even Mustang.”

Ed smiled, proud of himself at that fact. He gasped as he lost his balance. He tried to regain his footing but the rock under him loosened. He faced the ground in the center of the mining pit and wind rushed toward his face. 

He grunted as his fall was stopped. Something caught his hood and he was left hanging over the edge staring into the abyss below. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Riza’s arm extended into his hood, keeping him from falling.

She gave a weak grunt as she pulled him back onto the slope, as far from the edge as possible. Then both collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.

“You weren’t kidding when you said the rock is unstable,” she said. “Are you alright?”

“Fuck,” Ed groaned. He flopped back on the stone. “I’m good.” He peeked at her. “Are you?”

“Me?”

“Well you just caught me and the automail is about 50 pounds each. So are you okay?”

“I’m completely fine. Are you?”

Ed barked a laugh. “Don’t worry about me Riza. I’m having the time of my life.”

She stared at him for a solid thirty seconds before bursting out into laughter. Soon he joined in. Their hearty laughs filled the pit and echoed around the walls.

Eventually, Ed got control of himself, as did Riza. He stood up and offered her a hand, easily hauling her up. They made it much further down to the bottom. 

Ed whistled, actually impressed with what he was seeing. The place, from what he could tell with Riza’s somehow still not broken lantern, was massive. He felt along the wall as he walked. There was that feeling again. The rock was all wrong.

For the third time that day, Ed shuddered and yanked his hand away from the wall.

“What is it?” Riza asked.

“I don’t know how to explain it. The rock is wrong. It’s like it’s been shifted to the left.” He shrugged at his less-than-helpful explanation.

Riza put her hand where Ed had taken his hand off the wall. She ran it along in an imitation of Ed. When she took hers away, it was black.

“Gunpowder,” she said, sniffing her hand.

“Can’t be that weird. I doubt they had alchemists.”

“This mine hasn’t been in use in too long for this to be recent. I think it’s that alchemist we were talking about.”

“Maybe he had friends?”

Riza just hummed. Ed walked away from Riza into the center of the pit. The darkness was crushing, but in a way that brought an odd comfort to him. It was the complete opposite of The Gate, the dark contrasting the light.

Ed got an idea. He went to the opposite side that the bottom of the slope was on. He didn’t know why, but there might be something here. But he had an innate feeling that if he was trying to find it, he wouldn’t.

So Ed closed his eyes, blocked out the world around him, and walked forward. He stopped and smirked when he found what he was looking for. A cold draft, much like the first entrance to the mine was blowing at him.

“Riza!” He called. “I found something!” He could hear her footsteps following his voice. Again, he felt along the wall. “Bingo.” His smirk grew wider. 

He opened his eyes as Riza grew closer and pointed down the new tunnel. 

“Silver’s this way. The miners follow the trail of the most silver, and it led them down here.” He sensed her hesitance. “You good?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. It just bothers me how there are no traces of other lanterns down here. Strange, no?”

“Actually I do find that a bit out of the ordinary,” Ed answered without looking back, his eyes fixed on what he could see ahead of him. He half expected little black hands to come and grab him, to see The Truth. 

Ed kicked himself with his automail leg. He surged forward, wanting to show himself that obviously there was nothing there and Ed already learned his lesson he wasn’t going to do human transmutation and go to The Gate a third time thank you very much.

Riza followed him but Ed still kept his hand on the wall to guide him. He could sense that the pull of the silver was still there, a trail of the component elements leading him.

He nearly tripped when the path he was on started to go upwards. 

“Fuck,” he swore to himself. “Twice? Really? Fuck me to Truth and back.”

A soft pressure on his shoulder made him look up. Riza was staring at him with soft eyes. “It’s okay to trip up sometimes. Everyone does.”

Ed was about to respond about him being more of a fuck-up than everyone else, and not having the option of not getting to trip up, but he had known Riza for seven months now, and that was enough to know she wouldn’t take his shit. 

He sighed and kept walking up the new slope in front of them. This mine inspection was getting a bit too weird for his liking, and it had nothing to do with the close calls and close moments between him and Riza that he did not want to think about.

When the ground evened out, he held out an arm to stop Riza from walking further.

“The silver is up ahead, but we can’t get there.”

She gave a quizzical hum.

“Remember how I said the whole mine feels wrong like it’s a little to the left?”

“Yeah?”

“This is a lot to the left.”

“Oh,” she breathed. “There has to be another way around to get to it.” She placed her hand on the wall above Ed’s.

She yanked it away when a crack appeared in the stone right where her hand had been.

“What the fuck?” Ed asked. He peered at the crack, which was growing wider and along the roof of the tunnel. Small pebbles started to fall from the ceiling and hit them in the head. “We need to go!” 

Both of them ran back along the tunnel but stopped when a huge boulder fell in front of their path. Ed grabbed Riza and pulled her back up to the even ground. He clapped his hands and barely managed to touch the wall before the cracking got louder and larger rocks started to fall.

“Edward!” Riza shouted. She slammed into Ed as a boulder twice his size fell to where he had been a moment before. They crashed to the ground and Riza shielded Ed with her body.

Ed hardly was able to clap his hands and create a shelter as the heavy pieces do stone came tumbling down on them.

Ed groaned as he shifted. Or did his best to shift. As Riza was still on top of him.

“Riza!” He shouted as best as he could. Dust was in his lungs and he couldn’t move his chest to breathe. However, it seemed to work as she scrunched her brow and opened her eyes with a small grunt.

“Edward?”

“Oh thank Truth you’re alive. What are your injuries?”

She pushed herself off of him and sat up. Ed could hear her wince. “Something’s in my back, and my arm is at the very least sprained. You?”

Only then did Ed register the pain shooting in from his flesh hand and the nerves in his right shoulder were firing off, but it was a manageable pain, nothing like getting his limbs ripped off. “Nothing that should be a problem.”

“How are we able to move right now? Didn’t the ceiling collapse?”

“I created a shelter right before we passed out. I don’t know how stable it is though.” Ed sighed. “I hate not being able to see.”

Riza clicked her tongue. “Hang on.” She muttered. A few seconds later there was a tiny click and a small flame illuminated them. “The colonel’s useless when he’s wet,” she said in lieu of an explanation. 

“Well you’re prepared,” Ed commented. “You said your back hurts?”

She nodded. 

“I can take a look if you want. If it’s bleeding I don’t want it to get infected.”

She hesitated and Ed thought she would say no, but she bit her lip and nodded. She scooted and turned around, holding the lighter alight. 

Ed inched closer to get a better look. “Guess we know what happened to the lantern. There are rocks and glass in your back. And I’m not going to lie to you Riza, with how shitty it is in here and all of the rather toxic elements in the rocks, plus the oil from the lamp, you need that shit out before it causes an infection.”

She sighed. “When do you think we’ll get out of here?”

“Dunno.” Ed leaned back and looked at the low ceiling. It was so low that Ed had to sit, even with his less-than-preferable height. “We probably have to hope that people on the surface heard the collapse. They know the military’s here so maybe they’ll get Mustang.”

“I don’t like the sound of that maybe. Can you transmute us out?”

“I seriously doubt it. I’m injured just a tad and have little light, and the surface is hella unstable. So I run the risk of a rebound and crushing us both.”

She sighed and clicked off the light. “We need to conserve oxygen,” she explained.

Ed pointed above him even though he knew Riza couldn’t see it. “Not really. Before you saved me from being crushed by a giant rock, thanks for that by the way, I made a hole that reached up to the surface, so at least we have a little.

“Have I mentioned how proactive you are?”

“I don’t think being trained to prepare for literally every possible situation counts as proactive.”

“What do you mean?”

“My alchemy teacher. Two syllables. Paranoid. She just constantly drilled that into my head. Trust no one.” He scoffed. “As if I needed her to tell me that.” He smiled fondly in the dark at remembering Izumi and her crazy training methods. “She taught me medical stuff too. Though I did learn enough bio alchemy and traditional medical practices on my own to figure out how to treat wounds.”

As if I’m cue, he could feel Riza stiffen in front of him, though he didn’t know if it was from his words or pain or their situation. Probably a combination of all three.

“Ed,” she said slowly, but in her I-scare-the-colonel-and-I’ll-scare-you-too voice. “I need you to take that out of my back.”

“Sure no problem. But I have to ask, do you want me to close the wounds with alchemy or like, just bandage them until we get help?”

“Whatever will be less prone to infection and more prone to my survival rate. And so I can heal faster.”

Ed wondered why she was so hell-bent on getting healed quickly. Even though it wasn’t explicitly stated, her tone and the implication was there. But it probably wasn’t his business and it was a problem for another day. Preferable when they didn’t have a literal ton of rocks over their heads, ready to crush them at any given moment. But you never knew with Ed’s life.

“Fair enough.” He hesitated in asking her what he needed her to do.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to.  Riza started to take off her military jacket and black mock neck undershirt. Ed heard the unclicking of gun holsters. Just how many does she carry on her?

“I’m ready,” she said slowly.

Took off one of the broken panels from his automail. He clapped his hands and transmuted it into a pair of tweezers.

“Can you turn on the light?”

Again, she hesitated, but the lighter was clicked on. Ed scanned her back to decide where to start. Carefully, he went for the biggest piece he saw.

“Riza?”

“Yes?” Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. 

“Tell me if I’m hurting you, kay?”

“Okay, Ed.”

He worked in silence. Picking each piece out of her skin. He avoided thinking about the flame alchemy tattoo on her back. And how the key pieces of information were suspiciously gone to be covered by third-degree burn scars.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “I’ve got the stuff out. This is gonna hurt like a bitch by the way.”

“What do you- Shit!”

Ed had clapped his hands together while talking and placed them on her back. He stretched the skin around the cuts and brought the blood in the body, as well as what was already on her back, to clot the wounds. He called the platelets to seal them up and scab them all. He worked slowly, the alchemy crackling on her back, not rushing the incredibly delicate process.

If Ed was being honest, the last time he had done something this extreme was when he used a similar method to stop the bleeding in his leg after the transmutation. It had taken so much energy out of him he honestly didn’t know how he was able to do it twice with his arm. He was working the body in an accelerated healing process and it took all of his concentration, so that on atop of fresh trauma, on top of the incredible pain he was in…

Basically, he didn’t like doing it to Riza. 

When he was done, they both lay down on the rocky ground and breathed heavily. Ed had ignored Riza’s grunts, groans, and cries of pain during the process so as not to break his concentration and accidentally hurt her. 

“Sorry,” he said quietly when he could muster up the energy. 

“Don’t be. I was the one who asked. I just didn’t know it would be so tiring.”

“It’s an accelerated healing process. It takes a lot of energy from your body.”

They lay like that for a while, their breaths slowly but surely evening out.

“Edward,” Riza said, her voice serious again. “About what you saw…”

“You don’t have to explain it to me Riza. It’s not my business.”

“But I want to make sure you know-“

“Seriously Riza. You don’t have to.”

Ed didn’t want Riza to explain. To put all her cards on the table when he had no intention of putting his out. This was clearly a sensitive subject for her and while Ed was curious, he would not push. If someone pushed him about Al, he would not want to talk with them. Like at all.

Besides, he could put two and two together. He knew Hawkeye was an uncommon name and that of a famous alchemy researcher who was a bit of a recluse. The bastard Hohenheim had a list and files set of the best alchemists inside and outside of the country in his study that Ed had memorized. Berthold Hawkeye was on that list, as well as the type of alchemy he specialized in and what his main research point was. So it was no surprise that he connected the dots between the Flame Alchemist and Riza Hawkeye.

He was a bit shocked that Mustang got the secrets since the notes told of Berthold being a recluse. But Mustang being a student made sense and Hawkeye having the notes at Berthold’s only living relative was something Ed had figured out, based on when Mustang got his promotion to major from cadet and when Berthold’s death was.

(He also had full knowledge and ability to perform flame alchemy from when he decided he would use it to blackmail Mustang with it back when they first met but that was beside the point.)

“Okay,” she said with her voice barely above a whisper in the dark.

Ed decided not to mention his knowledge of and ability to perform flame alchemy just then. He was hoping the conversation would be over. He didn’t want her to feel like everything she had done was for nothing since he figured it out upon first meeting them. It could be another secret he buried deep inside of him. Right next to Alphonse, Hohenheim, and his real reason for bringing his mother back from the dead. 

He quietly listened to the sounds of rustling fabric and clicking of metal and could guess what Riza was putting her jacket and holsters back on. Before they could say anything else, a noise above them cut off any conversation that had bubbled into their heads.

“What the hell was that?” Ed asked.

“I don’t know..”

Ed strained his ears to hear.

“Lieutenant! Edward!” Came the muffled shouts.

“The colonel!” Riza exclaimed. “We’re down here sir!” She shouted back.

Ed took a deep breath. He had a better shouting voice than Riza. “OI BASTARD! WE’RE DOWN HERE!”

“Edward! Where are you!”

“WHERE DO YOU THINK!” Ed rolled his eyes.

“I’m going to transmute you out!”

“Idiot," Ed uttered to himself more than Riza. "DON'T! THE GROUND IS TOO UNSTABLE! YOU HAVE TO PART THE GROUND, BUT SET THE STONE AS YOU DO IT!” Ed looked to where he knew Riza and explained in a normal voice. “It’s a big transmutation so it’ll take a few minutes for him to actually get it done.”

He didn’t know if that made a difference to Riza. To Ed, knowing the process of what was going to happen was deeply grounding for him, so he would imagine the same for Riza. 

Fifteen minutes later, the ground was parting, bringing fresh oxygen from the night air into the lungs. They gulped it down readily having only been able to breathe convoluted air for the past Ed doesn’t even know how long.

Mustang even managed to make a ramp for them to get up and out of. What a nice bastard. He was standing at the top, worry in his figure, but it released just a bit when he saw them both alive.

Ed walked over and helped Riza stand. She caught sight of his hands and gasped.

“Your hands!”

Ed looked at them with a rather calm shrug. They were in the condition he expected them to be in from the pain level. 

She tried to hold herself up to ease his burden but he saw her struggle and still helped her up the ramp. He was worried about her back, it being so tight and him having to concentrate a lot of blood in the singular area.  When they got to the top, they saw that as well as Mustang, there were MPs, paramedics, miners, and civilians all on the scene.

“What happened?” Mustang asked as he took over supporting Riza. Ed really wished he didn’t since he was using Riza as a support as well. 

“An alchemist fucked with the cave. Making its integrity of it substantially weaker. Also, the silver in the mine was probably fake, put there to lure people in.”

“We’ll start investigating, both of you need to go to a hospital.”

“Do I have to?” Ed asked, sounding more tired than whiny. 

“Yes, Edward. This is mandatory.”

“Aw damn.”

Mustang handed Riza off to the paramedics, though he seemed rather reluctant to let go and place her in the care of a stranger who was professionally trained. Ed hopped up on the other gurney without using his hands. The paramedics’ gasped when they saw the state his hands were in and Mustang’s eyes got big.

“How the hell did that happen?”

“Eh. I got crushed by a rock.”

“What!”

Ha. Ed loved freaking people out like that.

Chapter Text

Maes had the pleasure of being in the office when Ed stormed in.  Maes was actually talking about a rather important case with Roy when the kid came in. 

It was kinda funny really, how Roy’s previously occupied attention could switch to undivided as he looked at the little alchemist. 

But when Maes laid eyes on the blond, all amusement went out the window. His right hand, the automail one, was in a sling and his left hand was covered in bandages and clutching a piece of paper. There were several bandages on his face and he walked with a limp. But his face didn’t show he was in any pain. He was grinning from ear to ear as he came up to Roy’s desk.

“Hey, Ed!” Maes greeted.

“Hey Hughes, how’s it going?”

Maes smiled. “Not bad. Though you look like you’re in worse shape than I am.”

Ed looked down at himself as if he hadn’t considered that. “This? Nah. I’m doing great!”

“And why would that be?” Roy leaned back in his desk chair, a genuine smile playing on his lips that Maes was so going to tease him for later.

Ed slammed the paper down on the desk and Maes winced on his behalf. “'Cause bastard, I got that form you said I had to get to go on medical leave.”

Maes blinked at the obscene name, but Roy didn’t even bat an eye, completely used to it. He picked up the form slowly, reading it through.

“Edward,” he said. In the same voice that Maes used on Elicia when he was trying to explain a difficult concept to her. “I can’t accept this.”

The blond looked like Roy stepped on his dog’s tail. “Why not?” He asked in a small voice.

You are a bastard, Maes thought about Roy. 

“Well Ed, the writing on this isn’t legible. I know you can’t really write right now with both your hands banged up. Have you considered having one of the team help you?”

“I already asked Breda.” If it was even possible, his voice got even smaller.

Maes turned his head towards the outer office. He saw both Breda and Fuery peeking blatantly staring at the exchange. Roy had told Maes that the kid had been calling them by their first names after a certain get-together at Roy’s house, but now it seemed he was back to surnames. Not that it was any different, not really. Ed’s address of Breda had the same sort of softness it would if Ed was using his first name.

“I see,” Roy said slowly. He turned back to the paper. “Well, I suppose it shouldn’t matter too much as long as I can read the date, which I can.”

“So I can go?”

“Yes, Edward.” Roy took his pen and sighed his name on the bottom of the form. “When do you plan on leaving?”

Ed dug into his pocket and held up his train ticket. “In like, an hour and a half.”

Roy narrowed his eyes at the blond. “You were going to go whether I signed this or not.”

Ed shrugged. “Yeah, bastard. Keep the kid with two broken hands here where he can’t do work and can’t defend himself.”

“Who’s taking you to the station? Because you’re certainly right about not being able to defend yourself.”

“I’ve got a friend picking me up. She’s my neighbor. Or not really my neighbor but kinda? Daughter of another friend?” Ed shook his head. “Point is, she’s coming to be my ride and talk my ear off about being reckless even though it was hardly my fault.”

“Didn't you collapse from exhaustion after overexerting yourself through alchemy?” Roy raised an eyebrow. 

“Okay genius, you try to do what I did and you’d pass out too.”

“You never fully explained that process,” Roy reminded. Ed snapped his mouth shut.

“What process?” Maes asked as his curiosity got the better of him.

Ed glared at him as Roy spoke. “Edward did something alchemically draining and he has yet to elaborate.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Maes saw Hawkeye start to watch the scene with Fuery and Breda. 

“Cause I don’t need to. And you wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

“Try me.”

Ed smirked. He launched into a long-winded and thorough explanation of how the body heals wounds. “Then you just, accelerate the process.”

Roy’s jaw had dropped. “How do you know all that?”

Ed shrugged. “I grew up around medical stuff. It was just a theory until.” The kid put his flesh arm over where his skin met metal. He shrugged. “I fine-tuned it a little, so it’s better. With the help of a licensed professional thank you very much. And she’s also my ride. But she’s gonna be here soon, so I should probably go! See you, Hughes! And bastard!”

“Be safe!” Roy was able to gather himself just in time to call after him. 

Ed closed the door as he left. Five minutes later they heard the door to the outer office opened and shut.

“Truth above that kid is like a tornado,” Roy muttered to himself. 

Maes turned to Roy with a huge smirk on his face.

“Don’t say it,” Roy said. “Don’t you start with me-“

“Aw, Roy! Why didn’t you tell me you adopted Ed!” 

Roy sighed. Long and drawn out and Maes knew that he had hit more than a nerve, more like a whole section of his best friend's brain.

“Because of Hughes. Neither of us wants that.”

Maes stood up and leaned over Roy’s desk to get a look at the form. It was so illegible it could’ve been a foreign language for all they knew. Including the date.

“Roy, you can’t read the date on this.”

“I’ll be able to once I have Hawkeye fill it out.”

Maes sighed. “You need to pay that woman extra just for putting up with you. That or take her on a date.”

“She’s just my subordinate. Would you quit it what that already?”

“Sure. But only since you already have a son.”

“Have a..? Cut it out, Hughes!”

“Why are you so opposed to the idea? You’re allowed to be happy you know,” he added with an undertone.

“You keep reminding me. But even if I do care for the kid, I can’t exactly adopt him. It’s obvious he still doesn’t trust us.”

“Wasn’t that the whole point of the little gathering a few weeks ago?”

“Well yes, but he’s still hiding something. Which I don’t really have a problem with since I’m not exactly going to spill all my secrets to an eleven-year-old, but still.”

“Ah.” Maes knew exactly what secrets Ed was hiding, and they came in the form of a rather bright and cheery, almost six-year-old. The last time Ed had babysat Elicia, he told Maes about his brother’s birthday coming up towards the middle of November. Actually, it was quite a coincidence that Ed’s automail broke at the exact same time he needed to go back home. It would probably explain why the kid was so happy to leave. 

Come to think of it, if Roy adopted Ed, then would Al become his grandson? Or if he adopted them both, but he would have to know about the younger’s existence first. 

Well, as much as Maes liked both boys, he knew it would be Ed’s problem to sort out with Roy, first and foremost. 

Maes sighed and let his attention go back to the case at hand. Ed was a welcome distraction but serial killers were much more pressing. Roy dropped the subject as well, and they both dove headfirst into the case once again.

As Meas walked home, his mind wandered again to the Elric brothers. Ed would still probably be on the train. Maes strolled (Gracia had needed his car today) past a toy store with his hands tucked deep into his pockets. He stopped when he saw the doll in the window. It was about time he got Elicia a new present. But then his eyes caught on something else. A toy train.

It was getting close to Al’s birthday. Ed would probably have a bunch of preparations for his little brother, but Maes felt the need to do something too. He wanted those kids to know that they did have someone looking out for him.

Yes, he decided. He would get Alphonse a birthday present. He entered the store and looked around at the wares. He wanted to get something that Ed couldn’t just transmute. Sure the train was nice, but even though Resembool is a small town, they probably do have a toy shop with the most basic kid's toys stocked. Al probably already had one.

He knew Ed liked books, and Al probably did too. But where Ed read books as an escape from his life as well as to fuel his prodigious mind, Al probably didn’t need or want that. Maes picked up a toy radio and put it back. Definitely not. He probably used the real radio more to listen to his brother’s escapades. 

Well shit. Shopping for a kid he’d only met once six months ago was harder than he thought it would be.

Well, at least as he thought about it, he could pick something out for Elicia.

He strolled over to the doll section. There was the one in the window that caught his eye, but the one next to it was even better. Elicia was constantly begging to play with Ed’s‘princess hair’ when he was over. 

So the doll with long golden hair and a pretty red dress seemed like the perfect choice. He picked it up and proceeded to look around the rest of the store.

He watched an expecting couple look at the stuffed animal's display. 

“This one’s perfect!” The pregnant woman held up a stuffed purple monkey. 

“That’ll be the perfect comfort item for her,” her wife. They walked up to the register and Maes hurriedly took their place at the display. 

How had he not thought about getting a stuffed animal? Every kid loved them. He examined the options on the shelf and sighed internally. There was everything from stuffed birds to stuffed fish. 

This would be a lot easier if he knew Al’s favorite animal. 

Let’s see… he would probably want something that wouldn’t stain all that easily. So white was out. Maybe gray? 

As his eyes fell on the section for cats he recalled something Ed had mentioned in passing.

Oh yeah, dogs are great. I’m not a big cat person, but my brother is. If the neighbors didn’t have a dog, I’d let him get a cat.

So Al was a cat person. And if he couldn’t have a cat, a stuffed cat would have to do.

Maes reached for the gray cat but on an impulse, he grabbed the orange one that was right next to it. Who wanted a gray stuffed cat anyway? Talk about dull. 

Maes walked up to the counter. “Hello Mr. Hughes,” the shop owner greeted. He was a cheery man, and Maes was good friends with him from his constant patronage as this was the closest toy store to his apartment. 

“Hi, Roger. How’s it going?”

Roger shrugged. “Same old. Carrie’s getting better and Heidi isn’t. Linda’s with them today.”

Maes nodded. The man’s two twin little girls had weak immune systems and they didn’t do so well in the winter. “I’m glad to hear about Carrie, but I’m sorry about Heidi.”

“Don’t worry Mr. Hughes. With Solstice just around the corner, she’s determined to get better.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“You shopping for your daughter?”

“That and a little brother of a friend. It’s his birthday and I wanted to send him something.”

Roger smiled as he rang up Maes’s items. “Lucky kid, if he’s got you looking out for him.”

Maes chuckled at that but didn’t say anything else. Al Elric was much luckier because he had Ed looking out for him. Maes was nothing more than an added bonus. 

Maes paid for the toys and steeled himself for the cold. His stride was quick as he made his way home. It was a welcome relief when he unlocked his apartment door and was able to be in the warmth of his own home. 

“Welcome home dear.” Gracia walked into the entrance hall. Maes hung up his coat and put down his bag to embrace his wife. “How was your day?”

“Oh, you know. Ed’s on medical leave for the next two weeks. He busted his automail arm on a mission.”

Gracia gasped. “Is he okay?”

“He’s ecstatic. It’s Al’s birthday soon so he gets to be home for it.”

Gracia looked down at the hand that was holding the bag. “And that is?”

“A present for the soon-to-be six-year-old. And our adorable little daughter.”

Speaking of which, Elicia came running into the hall to join her parents. “Daddy!” She called.

Maes bent down to scoop up the adorable little tot. “There’s Daddy’s little girl!” He rubbed his face against hers.

She giggled. “Your beard is itchy!”

Maes stopped and kissed her forehead instead.

She looked around. “I hear you talking about Eddie. Is he here?”

“No dear,” Gracia said. “He’s visiting with his family for a little while.”

“We’re not his family?” Elicia looked between her parents, her lip quivering. 

Maes hesitated. He didn’t know what Ed considered them as. He didn’t know what he considered Ed as. That was very confusing and a conversation he was only prepared to have if it was teasing Roy.

“Honey,” Gracia said. She took the little tot from Maes’ arms. “We mean his little brother. He told you about him, right?”

Elicia nodded.

“We’ll Ed hasn’t seen him in a long time. So he’s going to see him now. That doesn’t mean he loves you any less.”

Elicia perked up. “Okay, Mommy! Can I go play now?”

“Of course dear.” She placed their daughter on the ground she raced off.

Gracia was truly a saint. Maes hadn’t had a single explanation come to mind. Gracia deflected the question in the best way leaving a still-satisfied Elicia.

Maes wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “You are the most amazing wife a man could ask for.”

She laughed. “I’m glad to hear it. Now you better get that present wrapped up.”

Maes nodded. “I’ll take it on my way to work tomorrow.” He kissed her again and went off to the office where they kept the packing supplies.

He got a box and some wrapping paper. He wrapped up the cat, then put it in the box. He went to the desk and wrote out two notes, one for Ed and the other for Al, adding them to the box when he was done.

He taped up the box and wrote Ed’s Resembool address on it (so he looked up where the kid lived in case of an emergency. Someone had to) as well as Maes' own return address. 

The next day, he dropped off the box at the post office to send to Resembool. He was thrilled to do so, happy he could give something to the two orphans. He couldn’t help the doubts that crowded his mind, day after day, about the present. He didn’t know Al’s exact birthday, he didn’t know if the kid would like the cat, and he didn’t know if Ed would appreciate his thinking of Al.

And a week and a half later, he stared in shock at the mail on his table. There was a letter from one Alphonse Elric.

Dear Mr. Hughes

I love the gif you got me! Cats are my favorit animal. Eddie says if Den gets beter with cats, then I can get one. Brother tells me lots about you. He says that if I ever go to central City, I can get to see you agen. Brother doesnt talk abut himself much but he likes talking about how he babysits Elicia. He says that me and her would be good friends. 

Thank you very much for thinking of me and getting me the gif. Brother was very suprized but he was really happy for me.

Thank you again, Al Elric.

Maes smiled as he read through the thank-you note. 

When Ed came back to command a few days later, healed and his arm fully restored, he and Maes shared a knowing look. Then Ed sent him one of gratitude.

Maybe a cat was the right pick after all.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Kain and Falman walked through the hall, arms laden with trays of food from the cafeteria. They had volunteered to get some food for the rest of the team since they were all stuck in the office making zero progress in the Anagram case. 

They stopped in front of the office door. Both of them were carrying full trays of food in each hand. Neither of them had an available hand to reach forward with to open the door. 

“I could have sworn I left the door open,” Falman muttered. 

“You did,” Kain reassured. “My guess is they’re talking about something and they don’t want just anyone to be listening in.”

“But we still need to get in.”

“Need a hand?”

Both men turned around and broke out into smiles at the sight of their favorite major. 

“Yes please,” Kain said. 

Ed sighed. “Yeah. me too.”

Kain just stared at Ed, who was nodding as if he had said something profound. 

“Oh!” Falman exclaimed. “Cause of your prosthetic!

“My humor is lost here,” Ed mumbled. Nonetheless, Kain smiled, sensing the good-natured teasing. Ed walked forward and opened the door for them, taking the lead into the office. 

“We got lunch!” Kain called the team. 

The desks were in their normal positions and everyone was at their desks hard at work. At his call, both Havoc and Breda looked up at Kain with identical expressions of childish hope.

Kain rolled his eyes at them. He stepped over to Hawkeye’s desk and placed her tray down. He frowned. She was concentrating on her work, so much so that her grip on her pen was frighteningly tight. He cast a look over to Havoc and Breda, who just shrugged. Lastly, Kain looked over to the door to the inner office. It was open, giving the outer office a clear view of the empty desk inside. 

“Where’s the colonel?” Ed asked, voicing what Kain himself had been wondering. 

Hawkeye froze. “He’s at a meeting with General Raven,” she answered stiffly. She looked up, not an ounce of emotion on her face. “He should be back soon enough.”

“You didn’t go with him?” Ed frowned. “You always go with him.” Ed sounded like a little kid that had just been told that his parents were changing an ever-present routine. 

Hawkeye shook her head. “What are you doing back so soon Edward?”

“Huh? Whaddya mean? The mission was supposed to end today.”

“Ah.” She turned her head to look at the calendar on the wall. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Uh-huh. So why aren’t you with the colonel? Ain’t you his bodyguard?”

She picked up the nearest stack of papers and dumped them in his hands. He fumbled to catch them all. “Those need to be sorted. Please do that while you wait for the colonel to return and for your debrief.”

Ed looked as if he was about to protest but decided against it. He took the papers to his desk and began working, not saying any other words. Hawkeye, satisfied, turned to Kain. 

“Put that in the colonel’s office. He’ll likely eat it when he gets back.”

Kain nodded and did as he was told. When he came back, Havoc was lightly teasing Ed. 

“The stack of papers is so tall that you can barely see over it!”

“If you say another word-“

“Though it may be because of your height.”

“I will kill you,” Ed finished. 

“I don’t think he’s joking Havoc,” Falman warned. 

Kain glanced at Ed's face. Murder was written all over it and the pen that was gripped in his automail hand was bending dangerously. 

The door opening had them all looking up. Mustang stepped into the office, his face set in a grim line. This in and of itself was uncharacteristic, as even with the team, the colonel’s smirk was strong, and rarely ever cracked. 

The argument between Ed and Havoc (the death threats is more like it) was forgotten. It wouldn’t be the first time that the colonel came back from the higher-ups with less than-good news. The coal eyes swept the room. They paused and connected with Hawkeye’s then moved on. 

However used to the colonel Kain was, nothing could have prepared him for how pale the colonel turned as his eyes settled on Ed, who looked ready to jump from his seat at any moment. He looked at them all, then he seemed to realize that he was the cause of such a reaction from their superior. Ed's face turned white and his grip on his desk tightened. He wasn’t looking around the room, at the faces inside. His gaze was solely locked on the colonels. 

Mustang was first to break eye contact. His eyes scanned the room and it was like he unconsciously straightened his spine, assuming the look of a leader delivering devastating news. Kain felt his resolve tighten. Whatever the case was, what the brass had told their colonel, he, no the team could handle it. 

“The brass has ordered me to keep the Fullmetal Alchemist in Central City, so that he may assist with the Anagram killer case.”

Ed’s knees buckled underneath him and he collapsed in his chair. “Don’t scare me like that man. I thought you were getting at the brass catching on to me. I can handle a serial killer.”

Mustang’s face changed from guilty to outraged. “No,” he said sternly. “You will not be working this case.”

Ed looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “But if it’s what the brass wants-“

“I don’t care. You’ll stay in Central but you will not, under any circumstances, work the case. Do you understand?”

Golden eyes narrowed and his fist clenched on the edge of the desk. “I can help people. I’m not an idiot. People are dying and you won’t let me stop it!”

“It’s not your job to stop.”

“Yes, it is!” Ed jumped up and his voice raised. Kain’s eyes widened in surprise. He’d never seen Ed shout at Mustang before. Actually, he’s hardly seen him shout period, save for when facing adversaries on the field. 

However, if Mustang noticed Ed’s uncharacteristic actions, he didn’t show it. “That’s an order, Fullmetal.”

Those words seemed to have some type of effect on Ed. Whether it was the fact it was an explicit order, or the fact that his codename had been invoked, which the colonel had given up on doing early on in their relationship. Whatever the case was, Ed locked his jaw, once again took his seat, and drew the papers Hawkeye had given to him close. He hunched over them and worked silently, not even bouncing his knee or tapping his fingers in concentration. 

Kain looked up and shared a look with Havoc. They both turned blue and brown eyes into the colonel. He didn’t meet his gaze as he strode out of his own office and closed the door a touch too hard. Kain would be lying if he said he didn’t notice Ed’s flinch.

The only sound that was left in the office was the scratch of Ed’s pen on the paper. Soon, the sounds of the pens of the other men joined it as they all took up their work in a silent tandem. 

Ed leaned on the wall of the abandoned building he and Kain were camped out in. Kain watched him over the edge of his radio. When he caught the golden eyes locked on him, he glanced down, acting as if he hadn’t been watching at all. 

Ever since the fight a few days ago, tensions in the office had been high. Most notably with Ed and Mustang, but it was also causing a rift between the team and Ed as well. 

Kain could sympathize. When he met Ed, one of the first things he noticed was the kid had an inherent need to help people. And now, he was explicitly being told not to get involved, without so much as a reason. Ed doesn’t know much of anything about the case. Considering how smart he is he could probably put two and two together when it came to the unique features of the victims and that being the modus operandi of Anagram. 

Ed slouched against the wall and sighed. “This fuckin’ sucks.” He crossed his arms over his knees and put his head down. “We’re out here catching some nobody when there’s a real serial killer out there. I could deal with this guy alone. But no, it has to be a whole team thing. If we’re here, who’s trying to catch the killer?”

Kain didn’t know if the question was rhetorical or not, but he felt compelled to reply. “Investigations, for one.”

Ed scoffed. “And what have they done so far?”

“What have we?”

“Your use of 'we' implies that we’ve both been doin’ shit.”

Well, for that, Kain had no response. 

“I can take care of myself,” the alchemist continued. “And I can help people! So why can’t I? I’m not so special that I need to be put on a pedestal above people who can’t do jack shit to protect themselves.”

That’s where he was wrong. Ed was worth so much more than anyone else to the colonel, and the whole team. And if Ed knew that, he’d probably yell and scream at them for thinking he was worth more than an average person. That, or he would go quiet, and ask them 'why', with such a small voice and such a sad look in his eyes that the team's hearts would collectively shatter.

“How am I supposed to get any of you to listen?”

“You could start by catching the mafia member we’re after,” Kain suggested, glancing over the rim of his glasses at Ed. 

The kid looked up from his arms. “What do you mean?”

“Well, to prove you’re capable, you could try to do more around the city. But it’s not the same. Since we don’t know anything about how the serial killer gets his victims.”

“You think?”

“Mhm. Follow instructions on this mission, do what you’re supposed to do and you might get the freedom you want.” The key word here was might. As in the colonel might take up on the hint that Ed could in fact protect himself, and that he might not notice over the blinders of overprotectiveness.  

“Okay.” Ed nodded and walked over to Kain. He leaned over where Kain was crouching. “So, what is this mission for again?”

“Don’t you ever listen to the briefings?” Kain sighed. 

“Nope.“

Kain didn’t bother pointing out the obvious lie. “Sure,” he said instead. “Whatever you need to tell yourself. And the point of this particular mission is so we can try to stop the prevalent gang in the area.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. But we’re set up here instead of where they typically operate because our intel says they have that entire area under constant surveillance. Wesbrook Street is entirely under their control.”

“And what did they do to get on your guys' radar?”

Kain glanced up at Ed to see his eyes narrowed suspiciously. If Kain didn’t know any better, he would say that Ed was getting defensive.

“It’s not exactly the mafia as a whole. Or rather, they’ve got too much power to be stopped.” Kain was fine with this. Did he mind that a group of murderous drug smuggling crazies were running rampant with absolutely zero known connections to the only government system in place and were still able to break the law without repercussions and could continue for so long that they could operate for generations without anything happening to them? Only a little bit. 

“So what are we after?”

Oh, Ed. so young. Too young to understand the way the mafia worked. Not that he was much younger than Kain, but Kain couldn’t imagine Ed getting caught up in this mafia business. “One of the enforcers of the mafia was caught doing some very illegal and very shady business. He claimed his work, and we have multiple reports of it. At this point, we basically can't ignore it as we have with their other actions. While we do this, the colonel is going to try to work out a deal with the head of the mafia, so that the group doesn’t get mad about us arresting one of their members.”

“He can try,” Ed scoffed. “Nobody around here like the military. Like at all.”

“Whatever the case may be, we still have to stop him. And the colonel is trying to do that in the safest way possible.” And to establish possible connections with the head, but Kain didn't say that part to Ed. After all, it was only hinted at in the briefing, and if Ed wasn't listening, Kain wasn't sure he should repeat it so out in the open like this. The colonel's attempted actions weren't exactly legal after all.

“Sure he is.” Ed looked around the dingy room they were in. “So what are we waiting for exactly?”

“He’s supposed to be out on the street below, to meet with someone. Once we see him we radio Lieutenants Hawkeye, Breda, and Havoc. They’re on the ground to subdue him and if there’s any trouble, that’s why Hawkeye is on the roof of the building across the street.”

“So why am I not on the ground?”

“You’re my backup, just like Falman is Lieutenant Hawkeye’s.”

“When is Mustang supposed to be meeting with the mafia guy anyway?”

Kain checked his watch. “In twenty minutes.”

Ed was quiet for a few more seconds before letting out a groan. “I’m so bored.”

Kain handed him the binoculars. “Then watch the window.”

“No thanks.” Ed turned around and headed out of the door. 

“Wait, Ed!” Kain called after him. “You can’t just leave!”

“I do what I want.” And with that, he was out the door. 

Kain could go after him. He could radio the colonel and report this. He didn’t do any of those things. 

“I cover for him too often,” Kain muttered to himself. He didn’t mind. Not in the least. And he didn’t think he needed the backup. But if the colonel found out, and Ed was already on thin ice with him after the argument, Kain didn’t want to see Ed in any more trouble. Kain grabbed the binoculars and went up to the window, carefully watching not only the street below but the surrounding area.

He didn’t see Ed anywhere. Kain was mostly worried about him getting lost. Or wandering into the wrong place at the wrong time. Kain sighed. Maybe he should have done more to stop him. And then what? Whether he felt responsible for Ed or not, Ed was still higher ranked than him. It’s not like he could just, tell him what to do. Now that Kain thought about it, the only person other than the colonel on their team who bossed Ed around was Hawkeye. To be fair, she also bossed the colonel around too. 

She had been pretty tense in the office before the colonel returned the other day. They both probably knew what the purpose of the meeting was before it happened. They were so protective of Ed and seemed like they would do whatever it took to keep him safe and sheltered from any more trauma. Not that Kain and the rest of the team weren’t. But they were less obvious about it. If Ed hadn’t caught on yet, then he was less observant than he had made the team believe. 

Heavy and uneven footsteps on the untapped and thin floors made Kain turn. Ed was standing there with a heavy book in hand. Kain checked his watch. He had been gone for twenty minutes. It was now three in the afternoon.

“You’re back,” Kain said, not bothering to hide the surprise in his voice. 

“Don’t sound so shocked. I’ve got nothing better to do than to sit around and watch your six.”

“And you’ll do that while reading a book.” Kain eyed the heavy tome skeptically. 

“I’m great at multitasking.”

“Sure.” Kain rolled his eyes and pressed them against his glasses to peer out the window some more. “Where did you even get the book?”

“I live five minutes away from here, Fuery.”

“I- you what?” 

“Yeah. five minutes down the road. Can you let me know when It’s three-thirty?”

“Sure,” Kain said trying not to comment on the new information. Dropping bombs of information and then changing the subject seemed to be an Elric trait. Or maybe it was something he picked up from his teacher. He took the binoculars off his face and turned around to face Ed, who was lounging against the wall with the book in his lap. He used his left hand to flip from page to page, reading at a fast pace. “What for?”

“Shit’s gonna hit the fan.”

Kain did not like that ominous warning in the least. Knowing Ed, shit hitting the fan could mean anywhere from him doing something he’s definitely not supposed to, to a huge fight breaking out and causing obscene amounts of property damage. 

Neither was preferable. Especially when it came to Edward Elric. 

“What are you reading?” 

“A book called Ancient Alchemy.” He flipped to the front cover to show Kain. 

“Oh.” So much for making conversation. When it comes to interests and hobbies, the two were vastly different and Kain didn’t know how to bridge that gap. He wanted to talk to Ed about something but the only thing they had that could potentially be a point of discussion was Izumi Curtis and that whole fiasco, but those were choppy waters in the calmest of times. 

That’s fine. Kain could handle the silence. He went back and forth between tweaking with his radio to see if there were any reports from the others, and watching the window for their target. He couldn’t help it. He was bored.

Finally, at three-thirty, he glanced over at Ed. Those golden eyes were locked onto something on the inside cover of his book, staring at it with such an intensity that Kain was worried it might catch fire. “Ed,” Kain called. 

No response. 

“Ed!”

Ed took a long blink and looked up at Kain. “What?” he all but snapped. 

“It’s three-thirty.”

“Is it?” he reached into his pocket and pulled out his state alchemist’s watch. “No fucking shit.” He stood up and stretched his arms behind his head. “Time to get to work.”

“Work?” Kain watched him walk towards the window. “Work on what?”

“Oh, you know. Saving the fucking day.”

“What?” Before Kain could question any more, Ed was climbing onto the windowsill and jumping out of the open window. Kain bit his lip to stop the urge to cry out to him, lest they give away their position. He settled from running towards the window and watching Ed land on the ground  in a crouch and race down the street. 

“What is Truth’s name?” Kain asked himself. 

Kain’s radio immediately started going off. He already knew who and why, since they all had vantage points of the same place they all just saw what happened. At this point, the only person on Team Mustang who didn’t see Ed jump out a window was Mustang himself. 

He picked both lines at once, so he would only have to answer the questions he was sure to be bombarded with once.

“What the fuck!” Came from Havoc and Breda’s line.

“Fuery was that Ed?” Came from Hawkeye and Falman.

“What the fuck!”

“I don’t know!” Kain hurriedly spat into the receiver. "One minute he’s not doing anything, the next he’s checking the time and jumping out the damn window!”

“He's chasing someone,” Falman commented. 

“He is? Where?”

“You think that’s our guy?” Breda asked, seemingly not bothered about Ed in the slightest. 

“Fuck if I know,” Havoc complained. “I can’t see shit.”

“Hang on I’m going to take a look.” Kain got up from his radio set and stuck his head out the window. He peered in the direction Ed had gone. In the distance, he could make out some fighting, but he couldn’t see anything else. He grabbed the binoculars and looked at the scene again, only to gasp and press the object harder into his glasses. 

What he was looking at, didn’t seem possible. Ed was in the middle of a fight, with some guy who at this distance, Kain could only be half sure that he matched the description of their target. But beyond that, there were two groups of people fighting, and Kain couldn’t tell them apart from one another. But they clearly could. 

“The man he’s fighting matches the description of our target,” Hawkeye said. There was a heavy sigh from her line. “Change in plans. It seems Edward is taking the lead on this mission, so we’ll have to back him up. Havoc and Breda get over there and act as crowd control. This is something we don’t want to get involved in, clearly. Falman and I will stay up high but do our best to get closer. Fuery, get closer and watch Edward. Make sure he’s won’t need our help and if he does, call us immediately.”

“Sir!” 

Kain rushed to pack up his gear and get out of the building. He packed everything back into its case at record speed and was about to leave the room when his eyes fell on the book Ed had brought. Kain picked it up and put it in the spare pocket in the radio case. Chances were, they wouldn’t be returning. 

He rushed as fast as he could with the heavy equipment. The radio itself was around thirty pounds without the additional equipment. But still, nothing could motivate him more than a teammate in danger and that’s exactly what Ed was right now. 

He found a relatively safe place behind a parked car and stayed there. The fighting was much closer than it had been, and Kain could make out Ed’s screams from the bunch.

“Hey,” a familiar voice said quietly. Kain jerked and turned around, his hand held to his sidearm. He saw Havoc and Breda there. They squatted next to him to watch the fighting. “What the hell was he thinking?”

“I’ve given up tiring to understand the kid,” Breda grumbled. “But this is outrageous.” 

Kain stayed quiet. He wanted to keep his eyes on Ed. To make sure he was still winning. To ensure that his teammate, his friend, wasn’t hurt in the fray. 

“This is insane!” Havoc continued. 

Ed kicked his adversary in the face with his left leg, sending the man flying into the crowds of the others fighting. The man recovered and sent a punch toward Ed, who ducked and countered with one of his own. Again, a quick recovery on the target’s part for he was able to send one, two, three punches in quick succession toward both sides of Ed’s face. Ed was forced back with each punch but didn’t let them stop him. After the third punch, his hands immediately came together to pull out his signature automail blade. He ran low, attacking the man’s legs, making deep cuts. When the target stumbled back, Ed kicked him in the chest and sent the man flying into the nearest building.

“I knew the kid was good,” Breda said quietly. 

“But this is a whole other level,” Havoc finished. 

If this is Ed, Kain wondered just how terrifying Izumi was in a fight. 

He decided he didn’t want to find out.

The man tried to get up, but he just ended up stumbling into the already compromised building, making the walls collapse around him even further. Ed clapped his hands and slammed them against the pavement, warping it to hold his opponent. When he was done, he turned around and watched the rest of the fighting. 

Kain fired up his radio and immediately got to Hawkeye’s line. “Sir!” he said. “Edward has subdued his opponent.”

“And the rest of them too,” Breda grunted. 

“What do you mean?” She asked back. 

“Take a look for yourself.”

Kain did. And his jaw dropped. Ed was standing in the middle, and all eyes were on him. The distance was still too great, but Kain could guess he was shouting at them all. The way he was walking among them, arms straight at his sides unless he was pointing a few individuals out from the crowd, reminded Kain of a military officer lecturing his subordinates. No, not just any officer. 

At that moment. Ed bore such a resemblance to Colonel Mustang that the only notable differences were in their height, hair, and clothes. 

“Well I’ll be damned,” Havoc muttered. 

Kain couldn’t agree more. 

Soon, the scene was over and the two opposite sides were shaking hands and the crowd was dispersing among the streets and into the alleyways. 

Breda stood up. “Guess that’s our cue.” 

Havoc and Kain nodded and they joined Breda. They all headed down the street to where Ed was just staring at his captured opponent. 

“Chief?” Havoc said tentatively. 

Ed jolted and looked around at them. “Oh,” he said. “Hey.”

“'Hey'!” Havoc shouted. “After that whole thing! All you have to say is 'hey'!”

Ed shrugged. “I caught the guy?”

All three of them looked over. It seems that this was their target after all. 

“Oh and don’t worry about the backlash with the mafia. It’s taken care of.”

“Wasn’t that the colonel’s job?” Breda asked under his breath.

“I don't even know anymore,” Kain sighed. 

Soon, Hawkeye and Falman showed up. Breda explain to them what had happened while Ed undid the alchemy binding his opponent. 

“You’ll pay for this Elric,” the man sluggishly threatened. 

“Yeah yeah fuck you too, Ethan. Say hi to all your criminal friends in prison for me.”

The man, who was apparently named Ethan, lunged at Ed and it was only Havoc having already restrained him who kept him from jumping on Ed in a fit of blind rage. Ed didn’t even so much as take a step back, let alone flinch. Instead, he just stuck out his tongue as Ethan was dragged away.

Military police showed up to make the official arrest and not long after, a slew of reporters came to get statements from everyone present. While the team tried to decline, the reporters swarming Ed wouldn’t take no for answer. 

The only thing that scared them away was the arrival of the colonel. The team all saluted him as he made a beeline for Edward. The kid seemed in a daze, staring at the building he had kicked the criminal into, and ignored the colonel completely after the reporters scrambled away. 

“What the hell just happened, Fullmetal?”

Ed paid his superior no mind. He walked up to the building and carefully clapped his hands, then set to fixing all of the damages he had caused. While the damages were typical for any fight involving alchemy and the Elric, as was fixing them, what was new and slightly alarming was that Ed was doing this without having to be ordered by the colonel. 

Soon the blue lightning faded away and the building looked better than it had before. Ed breathed an audible sigh of relief and made his way over to where their unit was standing in a group. 

“Well,” he said. “That’s over. Now I gotta get my book.”

“Oh, Ed,” Kain stopped him. He reached into his pack to pull out the tome. “Here. I figured you wouldn’t have a chance to go back and get it.”

Ed gingerly took the book in his flesh hand. He held it to his chest tightly and turned around to look at the colonel. “You wanted to know what happened?”

Mustang was looking at Ed with his normal, expressionless face. To all but his team, he was regarding his subordinate with an almost cruel sense of indifference. But their team knew better. They knew how to read the soft look in their superior’s eyes, yet the expression they saw was also unlike anything they'd seen before. He kept going back and forth between the book and Ed, and the building with his mouth pressed in a firm line. 

“Come on.” He put his hand on Ed’s back and steered him towards his car. “We’ll talk about it at HQ.”

“Works for me,” Ed grunted, not even protesting at the contact. 

Looking around at his teammate’s faces, Kain was sure that it worked for them too.  

Chapter Text

Roy stepped through the halls of Central Command with more energy than any man should have at one o'clock in the morning. 

He could not, for the life of him, or Truth above, sleep. 

He had gone to bed at ten pm. It was a Tuesday in February and the bitter winter cold always came as a comfort to him. He hardly ever had nightmares when it was this cold. 

But that wasn’t the case tonight. 

He was back in Ishval, shouting and snapping and listening to the screaming of his millions of victims, in perfect harmony. 

But that had all been background noise in comparison to the screams of Riza, Hughes, and oddly enough Edward. 

Roy had snapped his fingers at them, listening to them and watching them dissolve into ash from flames so strong there wasn’t even enough left of them for dental records. 

He was awoken with his arm outstretched in front of him in his typical snapping motion with a scream building in his throat. He had launched from his bed, down the stairs, and into his small backyard to stick his head in the snow until his ears were numb with cold. Then, and only then, did he feel like his mind was clear and that the screams were finally out of his ears. 

After that, Roy couldn’t close his eyes without seeing that image on the insides of his eyelids. And after laying in bed for two hours, he decided that it was definitely not worth getting back to sleep. 

What he really wanted to do was drink. 

But it was a Tuesday. And that meant he had work tomorrow. So under no circumstances, would he come into work hungover and smelling of whiskey. He wouldn’t do that to the kid. 

So he decided that he would go into the office to get his paperwork in order. It was his third most preferred coping mechanism. His second was drinking and his first was calling Riza. But tonight, she was at Rebecca Catalina’s house, since the brunette had gone through a bad breakup and needed some comfort from a familiar face. 

But he would be able to take comfiest in the blissful solitude of his own office. And it was so very much not his house, that even the idea of his office brought the comfort he so craved. 

Roy rounded the corner and strides down the hall to the large oak doors of his office. He patted down the pockets of his rumpled uniform and greatcoat, but much to his dismay, he realized that they were on his key ring and he had walked here to allow the frigid air to freeze his soul. 

Well, he’s no Edward Elric, but he too can perform more than one array. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a piece of chalk. He conjured the array he needed and quickly drew the appropriate array on the lock. He touched it with his index finger and the familiar blue lightning crackled through the air. The lock clicked open and Roy pushed the door. 

He didn’t bother turning on the light as he strode into his inner office. He pondered what work he could get done. There was that gang war that had torn up a good part of the Red Light District a few weeks ago. Roy had been worried about his aunt’s bar but she insisted it was fine. He was lucky that Ed was so quick with a clap of his hands and stopped the fight. Unfortunately, it had already destroyed a few buildings. The small alchemist had restored them of course, not one to leave residents without their homes. But that didn’t mean Roy didn’t have mountains of paperwork to sift through. 

He ran a hand through his hair and flicked the light switch next to the inner door after it was opened. 

Roy froze in his tracks. His eyes widened and his hand dropped from his head. 

In front of him, standing over his couch like a deer caught in headlights, was Edward. He was wearing normal sweats and a tank top. There was a patched blanket in his mismatched hands while a pillow was set up on the couch. Two suitcases were tucked on the end of the couch, one open and revealing clothes, the other looked like it was sealed with alchemy. 

“Colonel? What’re you doin’ here?”

Roy blinked at his candid question. “It’s my office.”

Ed looked between the couch and the blanket in his hands then he glanced up at Roy. “Um. I can leave if you want-“

“Why are you here?”

“‘S too cold out. Freezes ‘m automail.”

Roy gaped. “Have you been sleeping…outside!”

Ed winced. “Just for a few weeks or so. Used to do it all the time when I was a kid.”

A few weeks? “That doesn’t make it okay-“

“But I can go back out if you need to be up here.”

“Absolutely not. Edward,” Roy sighed. “What happened to get you here in the first place? I’ve been to your apartment.”

“I got evicted. The landlord guy didn’t want me livin’ there since I threw that guy into the building during Ethan's rampage.”

“Why didn’t you get a hotel?”

“Too expensive. They charged me up 'cause I’m military.”

“They what!”

“Happens everywhere. Nuttin’ you can do.”

“You could have come to one of us! Hughes even!”

“I didn’t wanna bother you.” Ed’s voice was getting smaller and smaller with each admission. 

Roy has absolutely no clue how to respond to that. To any of this really. Here’s Ed. Who’s eleven years old and too damn independent to ask for a place to stay when he didn’t have any other options. He was sleeping in the fucking snow, in the dead of winter. And he only went inside because he was worried about his automail. 

This damn kid. 

"Don’t you dare let him sleep in the office," The Riza that lives in his head chided him. 

Like he planned on it. He wasn’t that awful of a person. The barracks work just fine. 

"Roy! He needs people. People that he likes and trusts. There’s a reason he went to sleep in your office." 

What does she want him to do? It’s not like he could just invite the kid into his home. Roy would, If the kid actually would want that. He clearly has a problem with asking for and accepting help. 

Roy glanced over to where Ed was slowly packing his belongings back. There were bags under his eyes and while Roy knew on some level that the kid was severely underfed, seeing how loose his tank top was on him just set him the wrong way. 

“You hungry?” Roy asked. He tried to smile and have it not come out as a grimace. 

“I guess?”

“Good. I’m starved. I know a little place not too far from here if you wanna get a late-night meal.”

“Um.” Ed looked around at his suitcases and then back at Roy. It was obvious that he was trying to find any reason Roy would have to take him out for a meal. His stomach gave a tremendous growl. “No thanks,” he muttered. He turned away, trying to hide the blush that had crept up on his face. 

Roy ran a hand through his hair. “Really? You don’t have to be so independent all the time. I’m offering because I want to and you’re clearly hungry,” he sighed irritably.

Ed looked down at his bare feet. His automail hand twitched. “Fine. Whatever. It’s your money.” He pulled on his red coat and his boots. Then he slammed his suitcase shut and sealed it with alchemy. He grabbed his second one and looked at Roy expectantly. 

Roy cleared his throat. “Right. Come on then.” He turned out the door and after a moment he knew Ed was following. 

After relocking the door, they left the command center. “Where’s your car?” Ed asked, looking out on the empty street. 

“I walked.” Roy surged down the steps. 

“Oh. Did ya know it’s freezing outside?”

“Yes, Edward.”

“So why’d you walk?”

“I like the night air.”

“How come you’re here so late anyway?”

Roy wanted to be annoyed at the steady stream of questions, the most recent being rather personal. And he certainly would have been if anyone who wasn’t Ed was asking. But Ed was just a child and a curious one at that. He didn’t have much in the way of a social filter and honestly, Roy felt more judgment-free with the kid than he felt with his own team. 

“I had a rather unpleasant dream.” The kid didn’t need to know the details. 

“You mean a nightmare?”

Roy’s throat worked as he tried to answer. “Yes,” he finally managed. 

“That’s okay,” Ed said easily. “I get ‘em too. They suck ass.”

Roy hummed in agreement. “They definitely do.”

Then the weight of the kid's words settled in his gut. Of course, he had figured as much. The freak out he had a few months ago back when they had mentioned religion, not to mention the trauma of losing two limbs was basically all the proof he needed for that, but Ed was so candid with his response that it threw Roy off. 

They walked in silence and Roy wondered how he would propose his idea. It had to be done in a certain way. Despite what he may act like, it was clear Ed had a lot of pride in the way he lived. He clearly thought that it was not only acceptable for an eleven-year-old to be as alone as he is, but was proud of it too. 

“That the place?” Ed asked. He was looking towards the only restaurant with its lights still on. 

“That’s the one,” Roy agreed. 

“They have good food?”

“They have food.”

“Works for me.”

Roy led the way into the diner. He went to his usual table in the back, but still facing a window. He usually came here with Riza and sometimes Hughes. 

A redhead waitress came up and gave them two menus. “Can I get you some to drink?” She asked. 

“Water,” Ed said. 

“I’ll have regular coffee,” Roy answered. 

She nodded and left for the kitchen without another word. 

“You come here often?” Ed asked. He was looking around the place in scrutiny. 

“I do,” Roy said. “It’s mostly hangover food, but I haven’t come here in recent months. They have a mean tuna melt.”

“Yeah?” The blond flipped open the menu. “Ooo pancakes.”

“I haven’t tried them, but they always look good when other customers have them.”

Ed just hummed in response. 

The waitress came back with their drinks. Roy ordered a tuna melt with a side of crinkle fries, while Ed got pancakes, a grilled cheese, loaded fries, and waffles. When he did, he gave Roy a glare as if daring him to say something. 

When the food came, Ed rubbed his hands together with a hungry look in his eye. Roy started eating his own meal, knowing Ed wouldn’t start until he did. “Some great birthday dinner.”

Roy smiled and took a fry. “That’s good to hear.” Then he registered what the kid had said. “What!”

“Hm? Yeah.” He took a huge bite of his pancakes. “February third. My birthday.”

“Oh. Happy birthday then.” Roy didn’t know how to respond really. But his mind was racing. He was just so relaxed about it being his birthday. He’s twelve, and what twelve-year-old wouldn’t jump at the chance to talk about their birthday and get presents and cake?

Edward Elric, apparently. 

But Edward is nothing like any other twelve-year-old. And he desperately lacks normal social interaction with people. Yes, he’s been getting more from the team, but other than a few outings and parties, he’s almost always in a professional environment. And it’s not like they can undo years of solitude from just a few months of being around him. 

Even though he didn’t need any more convincing in the matter, he was more resolved with his decision than ever. 

Roy ate slowly as he watched Ed inhale the platters he had gotten. Roy got a few refills of coffee while he finished his meal. Even so, he was still waiting for Ed to finish

“Edward,” Roy started when Ed had cleared all his plates. “Do you have a plan for permanent accommodations?”

“Hm? You kicking me out of the office?”

“Not at all. But I think you should have a more comfortable place to stay. And a permanent one at that.”

“Like a hotel?”

“Like a house.”

“I gotta house. Back in Resembool. I don’t need two.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Roy resisted the urge to sigh. It would probably scare the kid off. “What if you moved in with someone from the team?”

“I don’t need charity.” 

There it was. The very thing Roy was hoping to avoid. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. But if you did, it would be easier for you to get to the office, and we could keep track of you easier. It’s no secret that the Anagram Killer is out for the blood of anyone unique.” Roy hoped that invoking the name of the infamous serial killer the military had yet to catch would convince Ed that it would be safer to just bunk with someone else. 

Ed wrinkled his nose. “Didn't know I was a target."

“We don't know that. You do have some unique features. not many people in Central, or at all have gold eyes and hair, and two automail limbs It would just be better for you to be around other people who can protect you.” This conversation was not going in the direction he had hoped for.

“Yeah? And I can’t protect myself?” His voice had a defensive edge to it. 

“I’m saying you’re in more danger sleeping in the streets and my office than you are sleeping with an extra pair of eyes and ears. Not to mention, if you kept sleeping at the office, you would hardly be leaving the command center except for missions and that’s hardly healthy.” Roy was getting irritated but it was imperative that he stayed calm for the success of the conversation. 

“I… who would I even move in with? You?”

“If you want.”

Ed sat back, stunned. 

“Anyone on the team would be happy to host you, but the fact is, I have the most room. And I’m offering it right now. Not like I’m going to stop offering, my door is always open.”

“Does it have to be forever?”

Roy shook his head. “Not at all. It’s all up to you when you want to come or leave.” Roy had absolutely no plan for going into this conversation. He just wanted Ed to agree to stop sleeping in the office and streets. Anything he had said up until now was said purely because he thought it would help his cause. Aw fuck. Roy was absolutely sure that his house was nowhere near child ready. The only thing he was sure of was that it was a hot mess and that he had no alcohol. 

Ed’s jaw worked as he considered his options. Roy waited with bated breath. He was in no position to rush this decision. 

Luckily, there were saved by the waitress coming back to clear Ed’s plates and drop off the bill. Roy took his eyes off Ed as he wrote a quick check of the bill total plus tip. He watched Ed out of the corner of his eye as he winced almost imperceptibly. 

“Fine,” Ed said as the waitress walked away. “But for a couple of reasons, and I have conditions.”

Roy sat back as Ed held a finger up. 

“One, this is temporary until I get a new place. Two.” He stuck a second finger in the air to join the first. “Two, nobody on the team gets to know. And finally three, you don’t ask questions.”

Roy could live with that. He kind of already was. Secrets, even from his team were commonplace. It’s not that he didn’t trust them, he wanted to keep them safe. And Roy was always burning with questions about Ed’s life. He refrained himself so far after all. what more could he learn now that he was living with the kid? “Fine,” he agreed. “That’s acceptable.”

Ed nodded and stood up. Roy followed him and they walked out of the diner. Roy led the way to his house. 

They stood in front of the modest place. Roy groaned internally at the snow that was piling up on the driveway. He plodded through the snow and entered his garage code. It opened with a great mechanical groan. 

“So,” Roy awkwardly prompted when he got in. He couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious about how messy his place was. He wasn’t expecting company and the clothes, books, paperwork, and take-out meal containers didn’t give the best impression. He would have to get this place in better shape. Ed put his suitcases on the floor and looked at Roy expectantly. “You can go upstairs to the door on the right at the very end of the hall. That’ll be your room while you’re here.”

“Uh, got it.” He picked up his luggage and went to the room. 

“Um,” Roy said. Ed turned around, with an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to speak. “Just. Welcome.”

“Thanks,” Ed gave some semblance of an awkward smile. He continued back up the stairs. 

Roy looked around his house. He wasn’t getting back to sleep tonight either way, as it was not three in the morning. Pumped with caffeine and just the sheer need to clean his home, he wouldn’t be sleeping anyway without throwing nightmares into the mix. 

As Roy started to pick up the boxes he realized that he has absolutely no idea what he was doing.

Eh. He’ll figure it out.

Chapter Text

Ed lay in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Except, it wasn’t really his bed. Because it wasn’t his house. 

This was so weird. 

He still didn’t know exactly why he took Mustang up on the offer. He didn’t like unfamiliar places, and he didn’t like putting people out. But here he was doing both.  He hated that he had taken the offer, but no matter how much he lay awake, telling himself to leave the house and find somewhere, anywhere, else to stay, he couldn’t.  At the very least, he owed it to Mustang. That was what he was telling himself. 

As he lay awake all night, he heard Mustang moving around downstairs. He saw the state of the house when he came, and from what Mustang had told him, the man probably wouldn’t be getting back to sleep. He guessed Mustang was making the house presentable. Ed thought it was unnecessary.

But it wasn’t like Ed was gonna be sleeping anytime soon either. It was cold and his automail was aching. Deep throbs were spasmodically sent through his ports. He didn’t have any meds for the pain, he never took them at all. He tried, once. Winry had slipped it into his drink after his surgery when he had refused to take it. But alas, all that did was loosen the trust he had for her because he told her and Granny too many times to count that he deserved to feel the full extent of the pain he had selfishly put himself through. 

He thought about how the day would go. He would stay in his room until Mustang came upstairs to get him, then they would awkwardly dance around each other, not used to the other's company in a more personal setting. Dinner had been bad enough, with Ed blurting out about his birthday and busting Mustang's wallet.  

He bit his lip and raked the nails of his flesh hand down his face. Why did he have to go and do that? He hated his birthday. Hated it. But here he was talking about it with his superior officer who was now his fucking roommate. Why was he like this?

He sat up in bed and looked around. He needed a distraction. He needed to take his mind off whatever the fuck it was going to now. But he didn’t want to do anything that might alert Mustang to know he was awake. 

He pulled out his pocket watch and saw that it was four in the morning. Ed growled to himself and flopped back. He was bored. And when he was usually bored he either read or sparred, yet he could do neither of those things right now because reading required light and sparring, while not always requiring a partner, was loud. Anything he did had the risk of being loud because of his stupid automail leg.  He could do maintenance on that, but he did not have the patience or enough of a death wish to be messing with his parts in the mostly darkness. 

Back to the drawing board.

He couldn’t even sigh dramatically because that was noise. Mustang probably thought he was sleeping soundly in a bed for the first time in a week and a half (maybe two, he couldn't remember the exact days anymore). But he wasn’t. Because it wasn’t his bed. And it wasn’t his house. 

Ed decided that five forty-seven was an acceptable enough time to get up. He could hear Mustang cleaning downstairs still. (How messy was the house?). But Ed decided it was late enough that he could have gotten adequate sleep, and early enough that he could pass off the time as getting a morning workout in or something. 

Still, it took him six minutes of berating himself to go down the damn stairs. 

And when he did, he just stood at the edge of the stairs, surveying the living space. The trash that was on the piano was cleaned, and the takeout containers were gone. The room looked much like it did the first time Ed came here with the rest of the team. 

Ed turned his eyes to the kitchen to see Mustang wearing a bright red apron with flames embroidered on it. Ed was too far away to read the writing on it since it was in cursive. The colonel was standing at the kitchen skin, scrubbing furiously on a pot, using a soggy, almost ripped sponge, cursing to himself. 

Ed put as much weight as he could into his flesh foot as he stepped off the steps. Mustang whipped around, his hand tensing in the soapy water. 

“Sorry,” Ed muttered, not knowing what else to say. 

“Don’t be. You’re up early. Did you sleep okay? I can’t imagine it was very much.”

“Uh, yeah. Fine. It was fine. I mean, I slept fine. I was gonna um. Just head back to HQ. Get some practice in before work, y'know?” Truth, why was he hesitating so much? 

“Right. Did you want me to uh…drive you there”

“Nah I’m good.”

“Right. Well, have fun.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Ed was out the door in seconds. He stood on the porch for a second, dragging his hand through his hair. “That was the most awkward fucking conversation I’ve ever had in my life. And that includes when I explained the transmutation to Teacher, in front of Fuery.”

Ed set out down the street. Mustang lived much closer to HQ than Ed’s old apartment. The walk, which used to be an hour, was down to fifteen. And yet Mustang still took a car. Ed supposed it was an adult thing, but he hoped he never got that lazy. Ed had noticed that the lazier a person was, the more money they spent. He could take a fifteen-minute walk in the February cold. He didn’t need a car. 

It seemed that he was at HQ within seconds. He went straight to the training room and took off his jacket, he could feel the bolts in his automail rattling around, cold from the walk, and his stump was an angry, inflamed red. 

Ed practiced hard. Punching and kicking, dodging an invisible opponent, and even testing out a few flips for dramatic effect. He forced his mind to stay in the present, away from the terrible interaction this morning. When he saw Mustang in the office? He would act normal. He knew how to deal with the bastard in the office. It was outside the office that was the problem. T here was something about seeing the man, white t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, bare feet, and embroidered apron, stubbled and eye bagged, soapy hands and messy hair, that struck Ed. This was Mustang showing his private space. That Ed was intruding on. He felt as if he was seeing something he wasn’t supposed to see. He had no idea about what was going through his head about having a sudden living partner, and one he probably viewed as a child at that. 

For all intents and purposes, Ed could live on his own. If he could get another apartment that is. Everyone in the cheap area he had been living in was wary of Ed since he destroyed his own building.  But Mustang didn’t, or rather, couldn’t know any of that. 

Ed stopped his sequence with his foot in the air, imagining it taking down his opponent, before jumping straight into another one. He really wished he had a sparring partner. Instead of a living partner. 

What was it even like living with an adult anyhow? Someone who knows what they’re doing, how to take care of kids, and things like that. Playing the domestic bachelor all day must have its perks for Mustang. Getting to command an entire office, plus a division of soldiers in wartime had to be pretty sweet. And coming home to a house he owned, could do anything in, well that’s gotta be one of the best feelings in the world. 

Ed froze in his sequence and raked his nails across his face again. What the fuck was he thinking? He had Al and that was more than Ed could ever deserve. 

Ed forced himself to keep going until the thought was drilled out of his head. It was nice for Mustang, but Ed couldn’t stand the thought of it. 

He hit the showers when saw that it was almost 8, the time he should be reporting to the office. He grabbed a change of clothes from his locker and donned them, then went up to the office. 

Central Command was so different at night than in the day. Ed almost missed the solitude the moonlit halls gave him. He stopped by the canteen to grab himself a cup of their terrible coffee and turned up the two flights of stairs that he had to ascend. 

As he neared the office, he reminded himself that nothing between him and Mustang changed. Especially at the office. That had been one of the conditions. Ed pushed open the door and called out greetings to the team as he made his way to his desk. He tried to ignore how they were closing up case files around him. 

The door to Mustang’s office was wide open and he was sitting there, a mug of coffee in his hands and staring out the window to the front of command. 

“How have you been, Edward?” Riza asked, smiling warmly at him. 

“Eh. Same old.” Ed opened his desk and pulled out the forms he had to fill out. He would have to get a new physical soon now that he’s twelve. He should probably get an automail tune-up too. He felt a sharp stab of pain in his thigh, almost as if the thought of the pain the winter was causing him was enough to invoke it. “You?“

“Oh, I can’t say much has changed.”

Ed smiled and nodded. They had this conversation nearly every day. She asked him what was new, and if there was something that usually sparked the conversation. Same with her. There was something in the civil conversation that made his chest swell. 

As the clock hit eight-forty-five Hawkeye got up to perform another one of her daily rituals. Kicking the colonel into doing his work.  Breda handed money to Fuery under the table (as if that would stop the hawk’s eye from noticing) as part of their bet. This had been going on longer than Ed had been working there, so he couldn’t exactly say how it started or what it consisted of. 

Their day went on as normal. Everything went as it typically did, and everyone was doing what they normally did during the workday. Nothing, not even Havoc’s messy fringe, was different. 

So why did Ed feel so out of place?

Nothing changed in the office. He still held up two fingers when a member of the team made the coffee run (It was Falman’s turn today), still finished all his work, and still managed to chat with Fuery about the new shelter he was volunteering at. He called Al at the end of his lunch too. Hell, He even got a new assignment from Mustang. No discussions about the night before or their new living situation were had, and no rules were addressed, it was almost like it didn’t even happen. 

But it did. Sweet Truth, it happened. No way would Ed dream up something so crazy. No, something that impossible could only exist in real life. 

It wasn’t until it was time to go home that Mustang made any sign of their being roommates. As per usual, he offered up rides home to anyone who needed them. 

“Edward? It’s snowing pretty hard out there.”

“I was gonna go to the library,” he muttered as the rest of the team bid their good nights and left. 

“That’s fine. I can go visit Hughes while you do.”

“Oh. Sure.” He wasn’t getting out of this one. Damn. 

Nowadays, they left later than most, so the halls were only lit by the yellow fluorescents. Hughes was helping with the team's serial killer case as well as his own work as head of Investigations. He pulled many late nights himself and during the week Ed was sleeping in the office, resulting in Ed having to dodge the man when he was pacing the halls, grumbling to himself. 

Ed veered off when the hall split and walked as fast as he could to the library. He left his research in Mustang’s house, so he guessed he would pull out something easy to read.  Ed, a fast reader by nature, was steadily combing his way through the entire command library. He went to the geology section and pulled out a book at random. Depending on the subject, he was taking notes on how it could relate to alchemy. He borrowed a paper and pen and sat down at his usual table, one that was in the west corner of the library where nobody visited. 

Ed loved that when he read, all background noise in his brain turned off.  He couldn’t hear any of the thoughts that made his head ache and guilt form in his stomach. He craved the silence. 

However, because of that silence, Ed had a tendency to fall asleep while reading. And the vent above him, blasting warm air was no help. Before he knew it, he was folded over the table, head in his hands. 

A light tapping on his shoulder startled him awake. He jerked away and hit his metal shoulder against the wall, grunting at the pain in just the right spot. 

“Shit Ed,” Mustang said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t,” Ed muttered as he used the table to support himself as he stood. He folded his notes and stuffed them in his pocket. He reached for the book but it was gone already. 

“Ah. I returned it. Did you want to keep it with you and check it out?”

“Desk lady’s gone home.” Ed started walking towards the front of the library. “Let’s just leave.”

Mustang silently followed him. During the ride home, Ed was able to come awake more and he took in Mustang’s face. The man’s jaw was set and his hands were clenched around the steering wheel. 

They piled into Mustang’s garage and Ed got out, going into the house and up to the room he was staying in without waiting for Mustang. 

Ed changed his clothes into what he usually slept in. He wanted to stay in the room but he didn’t feel like sleeping anymore. He was restless and he needed to let it out in some way. Pacing would probably bother Mustang. Shit. This is why he liked living alone. He knew he was too awkward to have a roommate. Mustang probably knew it too. Any minute now he would kick Ed out. And Ed couldn’t go back to the office, so he really would be sleeping in an alley again. Then his automail would get fucked and Winry would kill him and-

A knock at the door made him jump. He swallowed hard and slowly went to answer it. He cracked it open and saw  Mustang standing there, his hands clenching and unclenching, his eyes roaming everywhere but Ed. 

“Yeah?” Ed opened the door a little more. 

“Do you want something to eat? I have one of Gracia’s casseroles in the freezer if you want. 

“Sure. Uh yeah.” Mustang wasn’t here to kick him out? “Yeah, her food is the best.”

“Yeah. I’ll just heat it up then and call you down when it’s ready then?”

“No, I can come with you now. It shouldn’t take long.” E stepped out of the room and followed Mustang down. “Are you gonna heat it with alchemy?”

“What? Why would I do that?”

“You don’t know how to heat things up?” Mustang gave him a pointed look and Ed raised an eyebrow. “Y’know, vibrate the molecules, creating friction between them generates heat. Alchemy does it faster than a conventional oven.”

“I know it does. I just don’t use alchemy for everything.”

“Why?” Ed sat at the peninsula counter and watched Mustang pull a glass Pyrex out of the freezer. 

“Hm, I’ve never really thought about it. I guess it’s because it’s not the solution to everything. It can be I suppose, but to me, it feels like an abuse of power. Alchemy doesn’t make us any better than someone who can’t perform it.”

“Where still human,” Ed muttered. He remembered Teacher beating that lesson in his head. 

“Something like that.”

Did that make Ed less than human for using alchemy for things? It saved money. Not having to turn the heat on when you can just heat a blanket with the simple thought of a circle and clap of his hands. 

Ed watched Mustang lift the casserole off the counter with one hand and opened the oven with another. As he bent down to slide the dish in, it wobbled in his hand and tipped. A resounding crash sounded through the kitchen followed by a loud curse from Mustang. 

Ed jumped up and over the counter, landing on the edge of the mess. “Don’t move!” Mustang said. He bent down on his toes and started to pick up the glass. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Ed snapped. “You’re gonna cut yourself! Honestly, it’s like you’ve never done this before.” Ed grabbed a broom from where it was leaning on the wall and started sweeping up the casserole and glass. He stepped through the glass with his automail foot and closed the oven door. 

Ed cursed to himself. Why was it that between him and his literal superior officer, he was the fucking adult? He looked down to snap at Mustang to get his shit together but stopped when he saw the pitiful look in his eyes. Right. Mustang was new at this. He’d never had to live with someone he thought he had to care for. There was no point in getting upset with someone who was trying his best. And who opened his home to Ed. 

“It doesn’t really matter,” Ed said. It’s just glass and it’s not like it’s a big deal. Sweep it up. That’s all.”

“What about dinner?”

“The stopping district is still open. We can go right now and pick up some food, then make dinner. Yeah?”

Black eyes flitted back at Ed and gave him a calculating look. Finally, he nodded. “I’ll get my wallet.”

Ed didn’t bother changing, just shoving his coat on and pushing his feet into boots. Mustang went upstairs and came back down a minute later. He tossed Ed a hoodie. 

“What’s this for?”

“Your coat’s too loose to keep your automail warm. Put that on.”

Ed nodded and switched out the coat for the old military academy hoodie. He tossed Mustang his keys and they left the house. They got in the car and Mustang pulled out of the garage as they turned left down the street to go to the shopping district. 

“So,” Ed said slowly, not trying to sound like a dick. “What do you know how to cook? So that we know what stuff to buy.”

“I can make pasta,” Mustang mumbled. “Nothing too fancy. Pancakes. Soup, I think. It’s just broth and meat and vegetables right?”

Ed winced. Mustang was talking to himself more than anything. Has the man been living off microwave dinners, pasta, and pancakes for his whole adult life? That and donations from Gracia and whatever can be considered food from the canteen. 

“Okay,” Ed said slowly. “It’ll be too much of a hassle to make anything complicated tonight. Pasta sounds good. But we’ll need to get other food as well. For more meals and stuff. We’ll need to go to the butcher, the market, and the baker too.”

“Why not just go to the supermarket?”

Ed blinked. He hadn’t realized he was thinking out loud. 

“They’ll have all the stuff we need there,” Mustang continued. 

“No. If you turn right here you’ll get to the baker faster.”

“Okay,” Mustang said. Ed gave him directions to the baker and Mustang parked in front of it. The light was still on and there was one worker sweeping around the shop. 

Ed hopped out of the car and went into the store. He didn’t need Mustang for this part. This was his element. 

“Welcome in,” the girl said. Her ponytail was frazzled around her face and the broom slacked from her grip by the second. 

“Hi, I need two loaves of bread from yesterday’s supply?”

Her back straightened and the broom got tighter in her hand. “Excuse me?”

“Two loaves from yesterday’s supply,” and, because he thought it would help, “please.”

“Alright,” she said slowly. She rang up the items into her register. “Is there anything else?”

“What do you have that’s too old to sell?” He stood on his tiptoes and leaned on the counter to see behind it. 

“Hang on,” Mustang said from behind him as the girl went to check the back. “Why are you buying the old stuff?”

The girl came back front with a basket of items. She laid it out in front of them. “Everything in here is marked down on account of it being too old.”

Ed counted three rolls, half a dozen muffins, and a deformed doughnut, among other things. He told her they would take the three first items, plus the loaves of bread. 

“That’ll be 2028 cenz,” she said. 

Before Ed could hand her the money, Mustang did it for him. “Keep the change,” he told her as he grabbed the bag with their pastries. 

“Goodnight!” Ed called over his shoulder as he hurried to catch up with Mustang. 

Ed got into the car and counted what they got. They were lucky. It would have cost over double what they paid in there if all this food was fresh today. He took the doughnut out of the bag and handed it to Mustang. 

 It took a minute for him to notice since he was turning on his lights and wipers against the falling snow. When he did, he looked between Ed and the doughnut. He took the pastry, ripped it in half, and gave one to Ed, taking a bite of his own before Ed could react. 

That… wasn’t what he had been expecting. The only two options considered were denial and acceptance. He hadn’t realized sharing it would work too. It was like the three stages of doughnut. Ed let out a little giggle at that thought.  He preferred the stages of doughnut to the stages of alchemy. 

Mustang pulled off and took the next left to the block over, where the butcher was. This one would be the trickiest. Butchers were very, very, hard to negotiate with, but he had the ace up his sleeve. Sig had shown him the best ways to win over any butcher. 

“What’s the plan for this one?” Mustang asked. 

“I do the talking. No matter what. I’ve done this before.”

He frowned. “Didn’t you say you did all your own hunting?”

“My alchemy teacher and her husband run a butcher shop,” he said through bites of his pastry. He shoved the rest of it in his mouth and gave a heavy swallow. “Butchers are stingy.”

“What exactly is the idea here?”

“We want the cheapest meat.”

“Ed, I have money. I don’t mind paying.”

Ed didn’t know what to say to that. Of course, Mustang had money, he was a fucking colonel and a state alchemist to boot for Truth’s sake. Instead of responding, Ed just opened the door and went into the shop. 

One worker, a tall blond teen with unlaced gym shoes crouched beneath the display case counter handing things to another, a bony woman with frown lines etched into her skin. She was counting items and wrote them down on her clipboard. 

“Oh hello,” the blond said. “Welcome.”

“We’re closed,” the woman barked. 

“Ma, we don’t close til nine,” he said. 

Ed pulled his pocket watch out of his coat pocket and checked the time. It was only 8:30. The woman sighed and stormed off into the back of the store. 

Ed chatted amicably with the counterman. His name was Reed, and he apparently had run the shop, keeping the business afloat in the wake of his father’s passing despite his mom wanting it closed. Ed mentioned how he spent years in his Teacher’s shop, learning how to cut meat and what each cut sells for.

Reed laughed. “Then you probably know what we do with the unpopular ones. Like pork shoulder and whole chicken too. Most people find it too much work to break it down.”

Ed nodded, finally glad to get to the point. He didn’t like paying for meat but if he was going to, he is gonna get it as cheap as possible. 

“How much will it be?” Said a voice from behind Ed. He turned around and saw Mustang, wallet already out. Ed didn’t realize that he came in. 

“Let’s see, I’d say around 20,000 cenz.”

Mustang wordlessly handed over the bills. Reed took them and tucked them into the register then went back to get the cuts. Ed looked at Mustang with scrutinizing eyes. He could not figure this man out. 

On and on they went to each store and seller, getting the items they needed at discounted prices for the less sellable goods. 

Finally, they sat with a trunk full of goods and were driving back to Mustang’s house. Ed couldn’t take it anymore. He just could not see why Mustang had driven him all over at Ed’s behest and didn’t even have Ed pay for all the food since it was at his instance that it was bought. 

“What do you say to getting some takeout tonight and trying all of these ingredients out tomorrow? It’s a little late to do any cooking.”

“Why?” Ed asked his voice barely over a whisper. 

“Hm?”

“Why? You spent all the money and time and effort. I could have gone alone. I could have paid.”

“I don’t get what you’re asking, kiddo.”

Ed wanted to say it, shout it even. Scream it from the rooftops. Why did Mustang care so much? Why? Nothing’s changed. They’re just roommates, nothing more. So why on earth did Mustang care so much? 

“It’s just me.”

“It is you,” Mustang agreed. “And I like putting extra effort in when it comes to people I care about. Do you like Xingese?”

“I.. yeah. It’s fine. Havoc bought it for me once.” Ed turned away to look away and out the window. He shared a smile with his reflection, a small one, but a smile nonetheless. Something mildly representative of the warm feeling that spread through his body. So many pieces clicked into his head. Reasonings for Mustang's actions. And maybe, just maybe, he would let a small part of himself believe them.

The next day, Ed once again went to work early. This time, he wasn’t trying to avoid Mustang, but instead just trying to get a good workout in. Turned out he quite liked going early in the mornings when nobody was about to scrutinize the twelve-year-old child soldier’s fighting abilities. 

In the office, Ed did his best not to make things awkward, even with the cloud of the Anagram Killer hanging over them all. Ed still wanted to help, but somewhere inside him, he decided that there would be a reason for Mustang’s withholding of the task. He would trust Mustang's judgment.  

Ed didn’t go to the library to hide today either. He just went home under the guise of his superior giving him a ride. They went in the house and Ed changed into clothes that didn’t pinch around his automail, just like he wore usually om his own space. 

He then cornered Mustang into the kitchen. “We’re making stew Mustang. And before you ask, put those gloves away. You have a stove and we’re gonna use it.” Ed gave Mustang, or more specifically his white gloves a glare. Mustang threw them onto the couch and stood straight from where he was leaning on the counter. He ruffled Ed’s hair as he walked by on his way to the pantry. 

He pulled out two aprons and threw one at Ed, which he snatched out of the air. He gave the embroidery a raised eyebrow. 

“Courtesy of Gracia,” Mustang explained, putting on his own.

Now that Ed was closer he could read the first few words.  “Oh snap snap, spark spark” Mustang moved before he could get a better look. 

Ed sighed. There were more important things to do. He rummaged through the cabinets and pulled out a cutting board, then got a knife. 

“What do you need help with?” Mustang asked. 

“Can you get the celery, carrots, potatoes, and onions from the fridge?

Mustang got the ingredients for him. As he chopped. Ed explained the process of making the stew to him. He told Mustang to do more of the prep work, like getting the biggest pot in his kitchen and opening the tomato paste. 

“What the hell?”

Ed looked up from his chopping to see Mustang struggling with the can opener. He cursed each time it didn’t work. “You’re damaging the can,” Ed pointed out. 

“I know that. You think I don’t know that? Look at it! It’s damaged, but it’s not open! What the hell is wrong with the can opener?”

“It’s not the opener,” Ed said before turning back to his potatoes, which were the last vegetable he had to cut before he could start breaking down the chicken. 

“How could it not be the can opener?”

Ed sighed, finished what he was doing, and dumped the potatoes into their own bowl. He took a minute to remind himself that Mustang hardly cooked. He lived off microwave meals and takeout. 

“Here,” he said. He stepped over to Mustang. He flipped the can over and took the tool. Slowly, he pinched the edge of the van between the gears and twisted, opening the can. He passed it over to Mustang and went back to his cutting board. 

“Huh. Thanks.”

“Can openers are a bitch but if you get them between the gears good enough you got yourself an open can.”

“Sage advice.” Mustang couldn’t hide the slight mocking tone.

“Watch it.” Ed took out the chicken and began breaking it down. 

“Are you sure you can do that properly?”

“Of course, I can. You know how many chickens I’ve broken down over the years? 

“Do you?”

Ed paused and considered the question. Did he? 

He did not. 

“Well played.”

Ed finished fabricating the chicken and washed his hands. “What now?” Mustang asked. 

“Now, we cook.”

Ed poured oil into the bottom of the pot and turned on the heat. He stepped away and grabbed the pre-minced garlic from the fridge. He threw some into the pot and listened to the oil sizzling. 

“Grab those.” He pointed to the bite-size cubes of the chicken breast he had gotten from the carcass. “And dump it in the pan. Don’t touch the chicken.” 

“I know that much,” Mustang huffed. 

“Good. Now watch those until they’re completely white on the outside.”

“Not on the inside?”

“they’re gonna finish cooking with the veggies.”

“Right. I see.”

Ed cleaned up the counter a bit as Mustang babysat the chicken. They worked at a silent pace, the only noise being the sizzling chicken in the pot. 

If anyone told Ed a year ago that he would be making stew in his boss’s house, he would have kicked their face in with his automail foot. That being said, it was now not only familiar but natural, as if this was how it should be. Strange, how the past months have changed so much for him. He wondered if, if Mustang ever found out about Al, things would change between them. 

Ed shook his head. No. He couldn’t let that happen. All this talk of stew and living as roommates in a no-other-choice situation was getting him fuzzy. He didn’t need Mustang. He needed to remember why he was here in the first place. If being around Mustang made him feel fuzzy then he needed a bucket of ice water. He wouldn’t let himself get sentimental. He wouldn’t let anyone find out about Al. He was too precious, too dangerous. 

“The chicken is white.”

Ed peeked into the pot and nodded. He took the tomato paste from the can, slapped a couple of spoonfuls of it into the pot, and instructed Mustang to stir. He then grabbed the vegetables and poured them into the pot. “Stir these until the potatoes are soft and the onions are translucent.”

“Right.”

“Did you really mean that alchemy is inhuman?” Ed asked before he could stop himself. 

“What? When did I say that?” Ed felt himself wither under his superior officer’s gaze. “You mean last night?”

Ed nodded. 

“Well, yes and no. It’s true that alchemy gives us abilities above that of someone without them. But I believe that it’s what we choose to do with our alchemy that makes us human or inhuman.”

"Oh." Ed knew that Teacher said he was abnormal in his gift of alchemy. But he didn’t know what it meant until right now. For most alchemists, alchemy was a tool to enhance their abilities. It made them more powerful than the level of average human. But to Ed, alchemy was an extension of himself. One he relied on as much as he did his automail. Alchemy was a solution to his problems in the same way that walking from point A to point B was for anyone normal.  

“But,” Mustang continued. “Alchemy usage is strongly based on morals. Like you’ve resigned yourself not to kill with your alchemy. It shows in your skills. Being defensive rather than always striking to kill.”

“So is it a bad thing that...” Ed trailed off. He didn’t really wanna voice the question he so badly wanted to be answered. 

“That you use alchemy for simple things? Not at all.” Mustang's hand came and tousled Ed’s hair. The blond squawked and ducked out from under the hand. He checked the pot and cleared his throat. 

“The veggies are ready.” Ed reached into the cabinet above the stove and pulled out a large bowl and emptied the pot’s contents into it. “Now we make the roux in the pot.

From there, Ed showed Mustang how to make the roux, how to put the milk into the butter and flour to thicken it, and how to mix in the chicken broth. Then they added back in the vegetables and chicken and seasoned the hell out of the broth. 

“How long does it cook for?” Mustang asked as Ed put the lid on and lowered the heat to a simmer. 

“Forty-five minutes. Gotta get the flavors and finish cooking the veggies and meat.”

“It smells amazing.”

Ed hummed. “Home-cooked food usually does.”

“I’d like to try more of it.”

“Well since I’m gonna be here for a bit, ya probably can. Y'know. If ya want or whatever.”

“I do. That sounds very nice Ed.” The warm hand on Ed’s shoulder sent the warm fuzzy feeling through him again. He did his best to ignore it, but it still made a small part of him, a part that he likes to ignore, swell with happiness. 

When the meal was all dished out and the two sat side by side, trying their creation at the table, Ed couldn’t help but feel like he was more at home than he had been since he left Resembool.