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He hadn't known how to process the news.
His chest felt tight as he looked in the mirror that night. His body was clad in his black and blue stars pajamas, and his very very long blond hair was down.
His beautiful, gold shiny hair, long and brushed and washed.
He made up his mind.
Edward is going to cut it.
-0-0-0-
Alphonse watched his older brother brush his silky hair down to its ends, before bringing the brush back up and making it go down and up again, working slowly on making the knots go free.
Al always adored his brother's hair, and it honestly pained him that his older brother took the choice to cut the beautiful hair. He knew that Ed hated how long it was, and always complained about how it got stuck into his port and how it stuck around his neck when it was hot.
He kept watching Edward work with gentle care, minding that this will be the last time him pulling the gold strands into its usual long fluffy fishtail.
Ed promised to cut his hair the day that Al gets the chance to cut his own hair- but...
“ stop staring, Alo.”
“ It's just... The promise-”
“ I know pal. The reason I am breaking it is... I need to do this, Al.” Alphonse hated how his older brother was trying to explain why he was going to do it, “ you don't have to explain to me, Brother. If I had my hair I would’ve done the same. and hey, maybe you still can shorten your hair when I get mine cut!”
Al was happy with how Ed was smiling gratefully at him.
-0-0-0-
Edward walked into the hair salon and stood there awkwardly, lost at what to do, that is until a “ hello there!” came from the reception desk, a nice-looking woman greeted him with a smile, “Hi?” he walked slowly towards her, “ I uhh... Had an appointment, under the name Elric?”
The woman looked through her computer, “ ah yes.” she grinned, “ what are you looking for in your appointment? A haircut?” she asked as she stood up and a man who kissed her cheek took her place, “ Uhh, yeah.”
“ that’s nice. My name is Fiona, by the way.” The nice woman smiled, “ Ed.” he walked by her side, they arrived at a chair where she patted it as she started wearing her apron. During that time he undid his long braid, “So what are we looking for today? A little trim-”
“ a big chop, actually.”
“ I- oh.” Fiona bit her lips, “ how big?”
“ As big as you can.” he breathed, “ your hair is beautiful, kid.” she whispered in awe, “ you sure you want to chop it all off?”
“ Yeah, I actually want to donate my hair.” he met her green eyes through the mirror, “ oh that’s nice.” she smiled encouragingly, “ to what charity?”, “ to make a Cancer wig.” Ed took a moment to take a deep breath, saying this out loud was hard. It made everything else so much more real, “ Oh my... I am sorry.”
His gold eyes started to get wet, was this woman sorry for him? Sorry for the patient in question? Or sorry about his gold hair?, “ I am not too young to donate.” he chose to say, unfortunately, his voice became thick, “ now. a big chop, please.”
Fiona nodded and started to work on his hair, brushing it and then tying it to 3 big ponytails from each end, she took a deep breath and held her scissors after she took the final okay from him, “ I am going to cut now.”
She positioned the sharp ends right against the nab of the teen's neck and started to squeeze the handles and a sharp ssstech sound came out, signaling that the scissors’ ends were working their magic on the golden strands.
“ first poney is done.” when she raised her green eyes, and she saw that the boy’s eyes started to get wet red. “ you okay?” she asked, the tied now cut hair in her palm, “ yeah.” he breathed, “ it’s... This is my first haircut since I was 5- I am just being emotional about it.” he gave a shaky smile and told her to continue.
Soon, 3 long ponytails of long gold strands sat in their former owner’s lap, whose eyes never left the mirror as they saw the hairdresser working her magic on his now short hair. She gave him a shorter set of bangs that reached the high cheekbones and just under his matching gold hair. The woman with pink hair was working on the back of his head, giving him some sort of a short fluffy-middle-part haircut? He didn't really know and frankly, he didn't care.
He has short hair now.
“ before you blow dry it and style it... Umm can you... Dye it, Ma’am?” he again made eye contact with her using the mirror, and wasn't surprised when he saw her shocked face, “ you have... But you have gold hair-”
“ Why can't I keep having black hair for the rest of my life?” Edward muttered as he started to wash the temporary strong black dye off, “ now I have to look Just like him. And not... Not like him.”
“ I know. Just, temporary black hair color please.” he started to blink faster in hopes to fight the tears that started to appear in his eyes, “ I need my hair to be black. I don't care how long it takes for me to get raid of it, just make it happen.”
The pink-haired lady zipped her mouth shut and called out for her husband who came and started to help working on the blond short hair giving the teen the new look he wanted.
It took them few hours to finish the coloring, washing, drying, and styling, but here he was.
His long delicate metal fingers touched his bangs, while his flesh hand started to feel the back of his head.
He felt... Light.
“ SO?” Fiona’s husband asked, the married couple waiting for any kind of reaction.
Edward’s tears beat him, they started sliding down his face.
His hair is short and black.
He is no longer looking like a certain man.
“ Edward-!”
“ I look like my dad.” he laughed, “ I am so happy! You guys did such a good job!”
That made the married couple beam with happiness.
The teen paid them and thanked them, he walked out with a bag of his own hair and made his way back to the dorms where Al gasped and almost dropped the stack of books when he saw his older brother’s new look.
“ Brother, black suits you like a suit!”
-0-0-0-
He didn’t show up to work ever since he got his hair cut. He instead was sending Alphones to bring the papers he needed to work on. If he wasn't doing military work then he was working on the secret important project, which was making a wig.
He asked as much as experts as he could, opened a few books, and made a few calls. Everyone he came in contact with suggest the same thing at the end of their conversation: Making a wig in a factory by a professional was the best thing he could do- sure it is going to cost him few grands, which he doesn't mind but at the same... It just doesn't feel right.
That’s why he opted to work on his desk, in his small dorm while Al was busy studying some books.
He bought a doll head- just like the ones they use to showcase wigs in stores. It felt like the right move. at first Fullmetal had no idea what he was doing, but after he started to thread the hair together on the fabric band, and after so many trials of pain and error, he got the hang of it.
After 4 days worth of non stop work, Edward pulled his short bangs in frustration, he knew making a wig was going to be complicated. He finally got somewhere after sacrificing 2 nights worth of sleep. The wig was finally taking its shape which made the teen so glad and excited.
I can get this done under a week! I mean I should get it done in under a week.
That goal was unrealistic especially with how he started to pass out on his desk, snoring and sleeping with no care in the world- then he will wake up after an hour or so shocked that he even was asleep, which is why He will open a soda drink and will go back right to work.
On day 6 of working, he fell asleep for the whole day and night. He woke up with a jolt wondering how he ended up in his bed- only for Al to explain to him what happened and force him to sleep and rest during day 7 and its’ night.
On Days 8, 9, and 10, Ed pushed himself to finish the wig, while taking breaks under his little brother's supervision.
On the morning of the 11th day, Elric tied the last hair into its place.
It wasn't perfect or flawless ( which made him feel upset.) but he decided that it was okay, ( after a lot of convincing from Al.) it looked good, especially after he styled it and placed it neatly inside a hair net and inside a box that he bought that afternoon.
That night he made sure to get plenty of sleep because there is no way he will show up in front of the people of his city looking half-dead.
-0-0-0-
Today, and after Edward finished his breakfast, he looked at his brother dead in the eye and asked him if he knows if the blue uniform was still in Resembool or if he brought it here.
Please- be here!
Thankfully, the blue suit was hanging elegantly inside his abandoned closet. Elric chose to wear a black dress shirt with the uniform. He tucked its ends inside the military blue pants, he used the fancy cufflinks that were gifted to him from Fallman a few years ago to tie this whole look together. He sat down on his bed and wore his socks and then laced his boots before meeting his eyes in the mirror.
I look... I look different.
He didn't look like the countryside boy. He looked like a city boy.
He didn't like like he was bearly put together. He looked as if he was as crisp as they come.
He didn't look like an Elric, or a Honhiem.
He looked like a Mustang.
He walked to his dresser and got out a bottle of expensive Cologne, he eyed the label for a moment before he sprayed it on his collarbone and behind his ears. After that, checked his teeth were white and his breath smelled like mint before nodding to himself approvingly.
It’s okay Elric, you can do this.
Using his metal fingers, he fixed his hair, giving himself a more put together look, “ Brother! I made sure your stars are extra shi-” Al came inside the room with his older brother's uniform jacket but stopped once his red eyes laid on him, “ Wow, Ed you look Fantastic!”
“ yea?”
“ yes! You look just like him.”
“ ... I do?”
“ Mhmm. You... you are going to make him happy.”
The gold eyes met the red soul eyes for a second before he started trying to calm himself down, damn it can't get emotional now, “ I sure hope so.”
The Fullmetal Alchemist clothed himself in the blue Jacket. He found himself loving it and hating it at the same time, “ I really look like him somehow, no?” he chuckled, as he got out his white fancy gloves from their box and wore them before taking the bag that held the wig he hand-crafted.
Both teens left their dorm after that, they chose to walk to their destination in full silence. The weather was nice and sweet on the older’s face. No wind to ruin his look or a sun blazing her rays on them which made him feel at peace.
Their walk was long, but they were used to walking long distances, so this 40-minute walk wasn't exhausting, it actually made his heartbeat slow down a little and made the sudden adrenalin rush calm down. People eyed them as they passed by, some even were whispering and gossiping but Edward didn't care.
He might have lost his iconic look, but it was for a good cause.
A great cause.
They soon found themselves standing in front of a red townhouse with a familiar black car that started to collect dust from not moving for a while. Al even noticed some cat paws on the windows, he was about to make a comment but when he saw his brother’s dim face he said:
“ Brother, if you aren't ready we can try again tomorrow.”
“ I wasted enough time as it is. Can't back off now.” the Major frowned, “Besides... I need to see him.”
They knocked on the door and went in, Al going in first, “ he is in the living room.” he whispered, it wasn't the first time the youngest came here that's why he was leading the way. “ want me to go in first?” the older nodded.
It felt as if his heart might jump out of his chest at any moment now, especially after Al entered the living room. It skipped a few beats when he heard Riza Hawkeye’s soft voice, “ Good afternoon Al.” followed by Jean Havoc’s greetings that matched his sister’s. Ed held his breath when he heard a weaker voice greeting his younger brother with a soft, “ Hey there, Al buddy.”
“ Hello Colonel!”
“ didn't I tell you to call me Roy?”
“ right. sorry... It’s out of habit at this point.” a small chuckle left Al. It was quiet for a moment after that, Edward wondered if he should go inside the living room or-
“ Say Al dude... Didn't chief say when will he stop by?”
Ah, there was the one million cenz question! Al told him they kept asking about him and he had to lie to them every single time.
“ Actually, he is just by the door! But he- er, wait, Lieutenant Hawkeye!” as the woman’s name left the younger’s armor, Ed was suddenly met with her staring at him widely. her tender hands flew to her mouth, “ Oh my God.” she gasped, stepping slowly closer to him as her honey eyes scanned him over before saying, “ Edward is that really you?”
He nodded slowly as he set the gift box down and hugged her thin form. It was crazy how he almost was taller than her now, and he could just hide her from the world when he hugs her. The woman looked a mess( which was very out of character of her.), she was wearing her wrinkled nightgown, her blond hair was up in a messy bun and her eyes were bloodshot, possibly because she was crying just a few minutes ago, “ hey mama.” he whispered as he breathed in her cherry aroma, closing his eyes.
He made sure to wrap her in his strong arms as he pressed a kiss to her head, she was crying to his chest. It made him realize how bad things might be, his throat suddenly became closed-
He can't get emotional. Not yet.
“ fuck.” The teen’s eyes snapped open to met the icy blue ones that belonged to the second Lieutenant, “ chief is that really you?” the blond man looked so tired as if he stayed up the past few nights up and didn't get much sleep ( which probably was the case.), “ Damn dude... You look great! Don't get me wrong. It’s just that...” his hand went to massage his nose bridge, “ god, I wish I can take a smoke break now.”
The ‘ but I can't.’ went unsaid and everyone knew why.
Colonel Mustang made an audible huff from where he was, clearly feeling left out and worried. The woman looked at Edward one last time, cupping his face, she lowered his head and planted a small kiss on his hairline before she entered the living room, faced her boss, and announced, “ Major Edward Elric is here to see you, Sir.”
Edward was thankful that she introduced him because otherwise he didn't know what to do. He walked to the living room with studied footsteps as if he practices this exact same moment for endless hours ( he did do that.), he stood beside the woman and raised his gold eyes to meet the dark blue ones.
With his right hand, and for the first time ever in his life, Edward Elric saluted his commander, “ Edward Elric at your service, Sir!”
This was the first time Edward saw his guardian since two weeks ago when Roy got them together and announced the bad news that made him stay awake at night. News he never thought will break his heart and actually make him cry for long hours at night...
“ .... I have no idea how to break this to you. I am sure you guys noticed some changes in my behavior in the past few months... I uh... Guys, I finally got diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung cancer.”
He mentioned that he was taking all the medications and treatments that he could get his hands on, but his chances are very low with how late they discovered it.
It was that same day and after the big news were shared, the colonel let everyone on his team help him with shaving his head as if it was like a small fun party... Was it meant to comfort everyone somehow? Edward wasn't sure.
But that night he made the decision to cut his gold hair and turn the left over hair into a wig so the dying man can have some hair, even if it meant it was for just a little while.
To some, this might be a lost cause, especially with how little time the dying man had.
But Edward has a motive for this. For all of this: The wig, the uniform, his hair, and manners. They were all for his guardian. All to make this most important man in his life happy.
“ Fuck Fullmetal.”
Mustang huffed. The teen took notice on how skinny the man was, there was a beanie that Kain made on his bald head keeping it warm. The Colonel was sitting on his old thrifted armchair with a bin just by his side and a blanket over his legs and another one around his shoulders.
The dark blue eyes in their turn scanned him over as their owner’s hand was on his mouth, still in shock at what he was seeing, “ what did you do?” he whispered, “ Edward what did you do?” Roy shouted that question as his chest let out a pained sob.
Seeing his Major acting as an adult soldier made his chest goes cold. This... Mustang never wanted this to happen. He didn't want to see Edward wearing the uniform- this was scary.
“ I.” the teen started as he walked towards the armchair, he placed the bag he brought with him on the man’s lap, “ I brought you something.” was all he could say.
With his weak fingers, Roy was able to pull out and open the box to show the gold wig, “ Edward-”
“ here let me help.” the young major didn't even gave the man a change to speak, he took the beanie off after he got the okay nod from Riza who was trying to stop her tears ( poor woman, she failed.).
With his rough yet delicate fingers, Edward secured the wig on his boss’ head.
“ Damn Dude, you look good in blond.” Jean chuckled as he sat next to Al on one of the love seats, trying to lighten up the mood, “ it does suit you.” the woman nodded in agreement, she took a hold of her lover’s hand giving it a kiss.
the older Elric was still working on styling the wig to make it look as good as it can be. After he was done, he pressed his lips on the older man’s head and then on his forehead, kissing him twice, shocking everyone.
“ Fullmetal-”
“ let me... You asked me earlier why, right? Uh... Remember a few months back when we both went out on an undercover mission where I had to dye my hair black? You mentioned to me one night that you always dreamed of having a son that looks like you,” Ed’s voice started to get wet, as he sank to his knees in front of the older male, “ and you kept mentioning how you want me to be acting as a man and wear my uniform and stuff so... So I thought......”
The room was quiet, “ I thought... Maybe... You will love it if you saw me looking as crisp as you are, I thought maybe you will be happy if you had some hair on- maybe that I can make a few of your dreams come true before you... leave.”
When the man didn't say anything for solid 5 minutes, the boy bowed to the older alchemist's feet, “ I am so sorry.” he whispered, “ I am sorry, Colonel!” he sobbed. his cries made Roy stand up quickly on his weak legs that he almost fell down, thankfully Al caught him and helped him sit in front of Ed.
“ Raise yourself up, kiddo.”
“ no-”
“ Ed, buddy... Hey, hey, tell me... What are you saying sorry for?” the older man’s face was soft and caring, but the teen didn't raise his head up to see that, “ I am apologizing for everything I did. I am asking you for your forgiveness.” the boy sobbed, “ I am so sorry for acting out and not listening. I know I will never-”
He was stopped in the middle of his sentence when a kiss was planted on his head, and was pulled into a warm embrace, “Shshsh now. You did nothing wrong, baby.” the man whispered, “ you didn't have to cut your hair and wear your uniform to make me feel that I have a kid, Ed.” when he heard the nickname, the younger male raised his head slowly, “ you and your brother are already my kids.” Roy cupped Ed’s face and with his thumps, he cast every single tear away.
“ Really?”
“ yeah, really. If anything, I should be the one apologizing here.” Mustang’s tears started to drop, “ you have nothing to be sorry about, though.” Elric whispered confused, “ Edward I am about to orphan you and your brother all over again.” The armored boy sat next to his brother and guardian, who hugged him immediately with his other arm, making the two teens sit in his embrace, “ you... You don't want to do that, Papa- you are okay.”
The 3 alchemists in the room sat like that, with the father giving occasional kisses to both kids after every hiccup they let out or a small whine.
“ Seeing you in black hair Eddie... It... I feel like I can see myself in you.” The man finished what he was going to say as another new small sob raise from his chest, that was immediately followed by more tears. He kept hugging his kids while the other 2 adults in the room joined them.
This was a family reunion that was one of a kind. The mother and the father, the uncle and the kids.
Lots of regrets came from every single one, but that was okay. Sure, The dying man might not make it, ( it didn't mean that his kids would try everything in their power to help him.) but there was still time for them to make memories.
Memories that will last for a lifetime.
Exactly like Edward’s black short hair.