Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was cold. That was the first thing that came to Edward’s mind. He pulled his red coat tighter against his body, but he kept his eyes shut. He couldn't remember where he was. It certainly wasn't a bed, nor was it the ground. It was hard. Like a wooden floor… But why was he sleeping on the floor?

Forcefully, he blinked his eyes open. He was met with darkness, only able to see a little bit through the light coming through the crack of the door. He turned his head. His nose almost hit white, cold porcelain of the toilet. That's right. He was laying on the bathroom floor. Why the light had turned off or how long he had been there he was uncertain.

He slowly pushed himself off the floor and into a sitting position. His head swam and it hurt. Setting a hand on his forehead, he tried to pull his thoughts in to make everything more clear. Slowly, he pieced everything together. He had had a migraine the night prior and the pain had made him sick. It wasn't the first time he had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor and it probably wasn't the last.

Sighing, he stood up. All nausea was gone but his stomach still had a dull ache and his head still hurt. He would just take another dose of painkillers and be better. At least he hoped.

He slowly opened the bathroom door, taking in the light. Blinking away to the sensitivity, he let out another annoyed groan. The apartment was a mess to say the least. It had always been run down and looked dirty no matter how much effort he and Al had put into it. Eventually the two of them stopped caring. Books and papers scattered all over the floor and his dirty laundry was tossed in random corners. He needed to get a new laundry basket, but hadn't gotten around to it. Not to mention the pile of dirty dishes in the sink.

It was fine. Everything was a later Edward problem. His priority was to take some pain meds and maybe find something to eat. Maybe a cup of coffee would do him a favor too.

The creek of the cabinets made Ed wince. Since Al was gone, helping McDougall on whatever mission without him, it had been quiet. Something Edward welcomed from his headache, but he couldn't push the feelings of loneliness and the tinge of jealousy that his “skill set” was currently unneeded. Or more accurately (but wasn't stated) didn't want his loud mouth coming along.

Taking the pills dry, Edward let out another sigh. He supposed he'd feel better about himself if he at least tried to make the apartment a little more suitable for living. Even if McDougall didn't really care about their living conditions, he didn't want to come across as lazy or too absent minded to be brought along on his missions. Feeling unwell wasn't an excuse to lay around doing nothing and apparently sleeping on the gross bathroom floor. Perhaps he should start there.

He set himself to work. It wasn't thirty minutes later when he heard the door opening and hitting against the wall. Edward looked up from the dishes. After doing a quick wipe down of the bathroom he had set to working on the kitchen. A smile appeared on his face upon seeing the large suit of armor squeeze through the door frame. His younger brother, Al, immediately walked over to him.

“Brother! We're back!”

Although Al technically didn't have facial expressions, Edward could feel his brother beaming. His glowing red eyes were practically sparkling, which meant everything must have gone smoothly.

Edward glanced past his brother, watching McDougall ignoring their reunion and stomp off towards the one bedroom of the apartment. Odd. Did it not go well? Sure the man usually ignored them, but he expected him to say what the mission was. Or if he had plans for their next move.

Sighing, Edward brushed it aside. It was fine. He put his full attention on his younger brother. Drying his hands on a towel, he craned his neck back to look at All. “So? How'd it go? Run into any military dogs?”

“It was uneventful actually. We didn't bump into anyone. And we were able to get the secret transmutation circles we need for phase three of the plan,” All explained.

“Sweet!” Edward grinned.

“We should-” the fourteen-year-old boy was cut off by an angered shout.

Their heads jerked towards the bedroom door that slammed open. Edward barely ducked in time to narrowly be missed by a flying glass wine bottle. It shattered against the wall, pieces falling onto the counters and into the sink. The teen cursed, flashing a fiery glare at the man.

“What the heck was that for?” He snapped.

“I told you not to touch my d— things!”

“I didn't touch sh–!” Edward snapped.

“Then where is my notebook?” He growled.

“How am I supposed to know?” The teen yelled back. “You probably put it somewhere when you were dog-wasted the other night! I didn't set a fricken foot in your stupid room!”

“Yeah, Edward wouldn't go in there, Mr. McDougall,” Al added, trying to appease the situation. “He doesn't sneak around.”

The man scoffed, slamming the door shut again. Edward rolled his eyes, trying to brush off the whole encounter. However, there was no fooling Al. He used his automail arm to grab his flesh arm, hoping to steady the shaking.

It wasn't like it was the first time Edward had a glass bottle thrown at his head. Heck, that was far from the worst thing he had experienced in the past few years under that man's roof. It was the fact that he could never predict when the man would strike. He was completely unpredictable. But boy did it give him good reflexes.

Al grabbed his shoulders, frantically looking for any injuries. “You aren't hurt are you?”

Edward brushed him off. “I'm fine. The b—--- missed. He's gotta aim better than that.”

The younger brother relaxed. Edward hated that Al was always worried about him. It was his job to look after his little brother, not the other way around. Sure their living arrangements were far less than ideal, but what choice did they have? There wasn't anywhere else to go. It would be dangerous to stay at Winry’s after committing the alchemical taboo. They could get arrested for harboring them, knowing what they did. Edward and Al had both agreed that any living arrangement was a thousand times better than risking any harm on her or her grandmother.

“Come on, Al. Let's get some research out of the way while it's quiet.”

“Yeah…” Al sounded hesitant.

Edward glanced at the broken shards of glass. He clapped his hands, pulling all the shards together and made a glass bowl. He would add it to his stash of glass bowls and pon them off for some extra cash for more books. Or that laundry basket he so desperately needed, but that was all a later problem. For now, he wanted a distraction for Al. Perhaps he needed one himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Colonel.”

The sound of Hawkeye’s voice made Mustang open his eyes. How long had he been out? He had pulled another all nighter, but he didn't mean to sleep the entire morning. Before he could even ask, the lieutenant answered for him.

“It's ten o'clock, sir. I figured you needed a little rest before working on today's paperwork.”

She set a stack on his desk. Mustang let out a groan. If there was anything he hated it was paperwork. Hawkeye snorted, a small smirk slightly turning on her lips. Had it been anyone else, Mustang would have ordered them out of his sight. “What?” He grumbled.

“Nothing, sir. However, I do think it's worth noting that there has been a reported disturbance on the East side of Central. Armstrong went to check it out. Alchemy was used, but nothing seemed to be odd outside of that. And no one saw any suspects.”

“That's not the first time something like this has been reported this past month, right?”

She nodded. “This is the second time this week.”

Mustang nodded, pushing the stray black strands of hair out of his eyes. “Noted. I'll have Havoc check it out today as well. See if anyone in the area has noticed any strange figures or any weird activity.”

“I'll send the message down, colonel.”

She saluted before leaving Mustang alone in his office once more. A sigh escaped his chest. The pile of papers sitting across from him made him almost want to quit. Almost. But his desire to one day be the füher was greater than his hatred for signing papers. Yet it was moments like this when he thought about letting it go and getting a quiet job out in the country. He knew he would never be satisfied with that life, but it never stopped the thought from entering.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he pulled the paperwork towards him. He picked up his pen and set to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edward shut the book in his lap, rubbing his eyes. He had finished it after working on it for the past two days and he learned nothing. He already knew everything in it by heart, despite the fact that it was supposed to be advanced alchemy.

He let out a tired groan. Alphonse closed his own book. “Do you want to go out? Get some fresh air? We've been doing this for a while now. We could even go to a pastry shop if you wanted.”

The blonde slumped in his chair, contemplating. It was certainly better than staying cooped up in the apartment all day. The air was kind of stale and it desperately needed airing out. He passed his brother a smirk.

“Yeah, let's go out for a bite, and maybe pass by a store to get a new basket.”

“Oh, yeah. I stepped on your basket the other day,” Alphonse recalled. If he had a face it would have flushed with embarrassment, but Edward waved it off.

“No biggie. It was kinda funny seeing it stuck to your leg.”

The younger boy chuckled.

Edward stood up and leaned back to crack his back. Then he headed for the door, opening it up for Al to step out first.

And the two brothers were off to run their errands.

Chapter Text

The sun was warm against his skin, but the breeze was cool. The two brothers stopped at their favorite coffee shop for Ed’s coffee and a sandwich. Then they stopped and got a laundry basket at their regular mercantile. It was a little awkward just carrying a large brown basket across town, but Edward refused to let Alphonse carry it for him. It was very light. He just had to subconsciously avoid hitting it with his legs as he walked.

His blonde blond braid rested over his shoulder. Usually he always had it rest on his back out of the way, but it somehow managed to to slide over his shoulder. He didn't bother pushing it off, mainly keeping focused on getting the basket home. His golden eyes drifted up to the shop signs. He noted any that had employment signs on them. He was getting close to the age where people could possibly be willing to hire him now.

The feeling of Al suddenly grabbing his shoulder, made Edward's head jerk up to look at his brother. Normally he would be annoyed, but the little squeeze made him concerned. Al motioned to their right. There was a group of military officers talking to a woman on the street.

Edward forced himself to relax and keep walking as if he hadn't seen anything. “They're not here for us. Just act cool,” he whispered.

“R-right…” Al stuttered, but followed after him.

No sooner had they turned a corner when Ed walked straight into an officer. He yelped as he stumbled back. Alphonse caught him, but the fifteen-year-old heard the basket crack. Hurriedly, he inspected it. Sure enough there were pieces pointed through with gaping holes.

“Are you kidding me, right now?” He yelled.

“Whoa there, you good, kid?” The officer held up his hands as a sign of peace.

Edward didn't want peace. He just wanted a not-broken-basket. “No! Look at what you did?”

“Brother, breathe. It's fine. It was an accident.” Alphonse grabbed his shoulders before offering the officer an apologetic chuckle. “Sorry, about that, sir.”

The man waved it off. By the stripes on the shoulders of his uniform, Edward immediately clocked him as a second lieutenant. “Not a problem guys. Sorry about the basket, but I'm Jean Havoc. I'm here on official military business. I'm asking the locals if they noticed anything suspicious happening around here lately. You guys wouldn't happen to know anything, would you?”

Edward gripped the basket fighter. The last thing he wanted to do was seem suspicious or say the wrong things. He needed to analyze the situation. What information was safe to give them? Or would it be better to shrug it off and not answer anything?

“What kind of suspicious happenings?” Al asked in his place.

Jean shrugged. “Not entirely sure. There have been a lot of strange alchemical markings left all over town, and we're just looking for the culprit.”

The brothers glanced at each other. Edward decided to play it off, giving Havoc a nonchalant shrug. “Can't say I've seen any suspicious activity, but I'll let you know if we do.”

The man smiled. The teen fought the urge to roll his eyes. His happy energy was so annoying, and this man was so naive. Perhaps Edward’s somewhat childish features came in handy. He was certainly not a threat to this man, but he supposed that gave him all the more an advantage.

“Thanks, kid. Here's the number you can call if you do. Very much appreciate it!” He ruffled Ed's hair.

The boy almost grabbed the man's wrist with his automail and fully intended to break a bone, but Al grabbed Havoc's hand first, taking it off his head. The younger brother shook the man’s hand. “Of course! Thanks for making us aware of our safety.”

The second lieutenant waved it off. “Simply my job. I'll be on my way. Don't mean to keep you from your errands. Be safe!”

Edward watched the man walk away. Despite the fact that Havoc acted completely clueless, he had to swallow down his nervousness. What if he did know something? And if he didn't, what if he did find out? He shook his head. What was the use of becoming paranoid now?

“I think we still have all the pieces to the basket so we can probably fix it with alchemy this time,” Al said suddenly.

A sigh escaped the fifteen year-old’s chest. “Fair point. It's just annoying,” he muttered, passing Havoc a final skeptical look. “Come on, Al. We better hurry back. McDougall might have some errands he wants done by now.”

The younger boy hummed in agreement. The two turned on their heels and resumed their walk back to the run down apartment complex. The rest of their walk was silent, the two only sharing a couple glances at each other, unsure what to say after the confrontation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roy massaged the back of his neck. He was tired of bong hunched over his desk, signing papers. A knock on the door made him straighten his posture. Folding his hands, he rested them in front of him on his desk. He cleared his throat. “Come in.”

The flew open revealing none other than Jean Havoc. Mustang had to fight back the urge to groan. Yes, he needed to hear his report, but he was not in the mood for the second lieutenant's upbeat attitude.

“Hey, chief! Second lieutenant reporting for duty!” He made a quick salute after he shut the door behind him.

“Alright, Havoc. Make this report quick. Any leads?”

The man shrugged. “The thing is, no one has noticed anything particularly strange related to the alchemy. Except a few people mentioned a kid always walking around with some guy dressed as a suit of armor.”

Mustang scoffed. “That's hardly anything of note.”

Havoc snorted an annoying smirk curving up at the corner of his mouth. The colonel hated when he gave him that expression. It was smug and Havoc knew it ticked him off. The man let out a sigh. “But?”

“But that is what I thought at first too,” Havoc crossed his arms. “After about five people mentioned them, I figured there must be something off then. Luck was on my side today and the two of them walked right up to me… into me actually-but that's aside the point. You know what I found strange? This giant suit of armor sounded like a twelve-year-old kid!”

Mustang shrugged. “And? So maybe the kid had a huge grow spurt. Kids do that sometimes. I don't see how this is relevant.” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. His expression showing just how amused he was by Havoc's antics, which was not at all.

“Yeah, I brushed it off too,” the second lieutenant admitted. “However, someone else had a little more intel to offer. Apparently, those two are often seen with a military major, allegedly a state alchemist, and go into random alleyways. And where are these strange alchemy symbols showing up?” the man smirked and set his hands on his hips.

The colonel raised his brows at the new piece of information. Why Havoc couldn't just start with that, he would never know. “Fine, I'll admit that is interesting. Ask Major Armstrong if he's noticed anything about these kids, and if he doesn't, maybe he knows a major that does know them. If none of the majors admit to knowing them, we will need to find these kids again and find answers through them.”

Jean Havoc saluted. “You got it, chief!” He turned to leave, shutting the door behind him.

Mustang was left alone in the office once again. He leaned back in his chair. Two kids following around a state alchemist was an odd occurrence. What would a state alchemist need with two kids? Why did he not know about them? And were they helping or were they just two curious children shadowing a state alchemist? He had his fair share of children shyly follow him on his walks merely because they were interested in his uniform or they had seen him use his fire alchemy before and wanted to know how he did it.

He wasn't necessarily concerned about the kid in the armor. He was more than certain Major Armstrong was six feet tall by twelve. So it wasn't unheard of. And the kid probably liked to dress up and thought the armor made him look cool. What middle school girl didn't like a man in shining armor after all?

Regardless of the probability of it leading to nothing, it was worth looking into. It was technically their only current lead. Either way, even if it lead to nothing, it was sure to be a good laugh he could use to tease Havoc for a long time to come. That he suspected two curious kids for being culprits to some grand scheme. If the transmutation circles were some scheme. They were probably just chalk drawings being made by someone studying alchemy and didn't bother cleaning them up.

Mustang shook his head. He needed to focus on his papers, not theorizing a case he had already handed off to his second lieutenant. Begrudgingly, he reached for another file of papers and set to work.

Chapter Text

When the brothers reached the apartment, they hadn't expected to find a strange woman sitting on the couch (aka Edward's unkempt bed) in the living room. She held a glass of wine, unbothered by the fact she was surrounded by piles of books and papers. And after being in the fresh air, Edward noticed that the apartment smelled far less than pleasant. He frowned.

The woman smirked as her eyes settled on them. She leaned back on the sofa and she crossed her legs on top of each other. Her black locks laid perfectly over her shoulders and around her mostly exposed bosom. There was a strange red tattoo on her chest, but Edward decided to ignore it, looking up at her sharp face.

“Are you going to shut the door?”

Isaac McDougal’s annoyed voice pulled Edward out of his thoughts. He hadn't noticed the man had been sitting in a chair across from the strange woman, also sipping on a glass of wine. Without a word, the teen shut the door behind them and he set his basket by the door. He would deal with it later.

“Who's this chick?” Ed pointed a thumb at the woman. “I didn't know you were into this,” he grumbled.

“Ed!” Alphonse gasped at Edward's lack of manners.

McDougal seemed equally displeased with the dangerous glare the teen received from him. The woman, on the other hand, seemed very amused by his brutality. She chuckled and tilted her head. “Oh, now worries, boy. Give a lady some credit. I'm class. This is business, and not the kind you are imagining. Though, I can understand where you might have come to that conclusion.” She glanced at the mess on the floor. “Especially since you clearly haven't had a woman around in quite some time.”

Edward felt his face turn red as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets. He scoffed. “Whatever. What are you doing here then?”

“Like she said, business,” McDougal snapped. “Have you been listening to anything she's been saying?”

“Excuse me? But you could have warned me that we were going to have company,” Edward shouted back. “What business are you even doing right now?”

“Shut your trap, pipsqueak! We're busy!”

“Who are you calling a pipsqueak, you jerk?!” Edward thundered. He lunged at the ice alchemist, only to feel himself get picked up by his torso by Alphonse.

“Brother, please…”

“Put me down!” Edward demanded. He wanted to at least get a few good punches in.

McDougal stood up from his chair. Al immediately pulled Edward out of the man's reach and pushed his brother behind his metal body. Edward would have argued with his brother about using himself as a shield again, but it stalled long enough for the woman to clear her throat. Silence fell in the room again.

“Oh, please, Isaac,” she spoke in an unamused tone, “Must you fly off the handle so? We aren't making deals with a man who can't even control his own temper.” She sounded almost like a scolding teacher. Not a mother, she wasn't that frightening or very motherly, but it did sound athorive. And apparently it worked because McDougal immediately sat back down, leaving Edward peeking out behind Al. What kind of sorcery did this woman possess?

She turned her head, passing the two boys a pleasant smile. “Isaac and I have been business partners for quite some time now. Usually we meet somewhere more befitting, but since Isaac was busy on our last scheduled meeting, I stopped by to make sure everything was alright.”

Isaac snorted. “Well, I think we have our arrangements settled. Are we done here?”

The woman stood up, dusting off her dress. “Very well.” She didn't so much as offer the man a glance. Instead she turned to the brothers offering them a nod. “Hope you boys fare well.”

“Thanks, and sorry, this is all a surprise to us. He's never told us about you. So, sorry for all the racket, ma'am.” Al put his hands together in an apologetic manner.

The woman chuckled. “Please, no need to be so formal. You may just refer to me as Solaris.” She gently patted Alphonse’s metal arm as she walked by. “Besides, I doubt this is the last time we'll meet.” Solaris stopped in front of the door before opening it. “Oh, and Isaac.” She turned to look at the man and waited for him to return eye contact. “It would be within your best interest to make sure you stay on track.”

Her threatening demeanor vanished faster than it came. She smiled sweetly again and passed the two brothers a wave. “You two behave yourselves, now. I'll be off.” Solaris said nothing more before leaving the three of them alone in the apartment.

Ed and Al stared at the door for a moment before turning their attention back to McDougal. A few moments ticked by. Edward stomped towards him. “How long have you been working with her? How many people have you been doing business with and not tell us?”

The man growled. “I don't have to tell you sh--, brat!”

“Don't call me brat, b—---!” The boy yelled.

McDougal raised his arm warningly. Edward clamped his mouth shut, knowing the man had hit him for far less before. He glared daggers at Isaac, almost daring him to do it. He shifted his own arms, ready to make an alchemical transmutation with a clap of his hands.

“Don't touch my brother!” Alphonse screeched as he reached to grab the man's metallic arm. He didn't get to grab it before McDougal’s arm dropped to his side.

Instead, the man splashed his glass of wine in Edward's face, instantly freezing it before it hit him. The sharp icecube of wine cut the side of his cheek. The teen yelped, clapping his real hand over his fresh wound. McDougal tossed the glass aside, letting it shatter against the wall. Shards of glass and frozen wine scattered all over the living room carpet. Alphonse balled his fist and aimed for a punch.

“Al, stop!” Edward snapped.

His younger brother stopped on his brother's command. The boy gasped when he realized the older alchemist had taken some of Ed's blood and made a spike to stab his helmet. “How could you!” Al shouted, absolutely petrified at the sight of his brother's solidified blood.

The man snorted before storming towards his bedroom. “Get the place cleaned up. We're moving in the morning.” He slammed the door shut.

Edward stuck his tongue out, holding back a grimace from the pain in his cheek. Alphonse immediately turned towards him and moved his hand from his face so he could get a better view of the wound.

“Does it hurt bad?”

The teen shrugged, gently pulling away. “It's not bad… just a scratch. He forced some blood out… but not a lot.”

The younger boy’s voice shook. “I'm sorry, I should have just punched him when he initially threatened to hit you…”

“Al, don't be stupid.” Edward gently punched his brother's arm. “It's not something worth crying over. See?” He forced a large grin. “I'm fine.”

“Hmph.” Alphonse didn't seem convinced. “Fine. But at least let me bandage up for you.”

The older teen crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress his smile. “Whatever. If that's what makes you feel better.”

“It would.” The armored boy walked to the kitchen to grab the medical supply kit they kept in a cabinet. He returned with a bandage and he gently placed it on his brother's cheek.

“There. All better,” Ed announced. “Now we better get to work and pack this place up before icy pants gets himself in a tizzy again.”

Al chuckled nervously. “Yeah, probably…”

A silence fell among them as they set to work. Edward fixed the basket. It looked different than how he bought it, but it still could serve its purpose. He tossed all his laundry in it. The younger Elric brother pulled out a cardboard box that had been thrown to the side of the room for who knew how long. He used it to put all the books they had collected in, stacking them all neatly.

Chapter Text

Isaac rented a car the next morning, and they packed what they needed into it. Since Alphonse couldn't fit after packing it with their things, he and Edward decided to walk to their new place. Al took the address because he was better at directions than the older teen.

Ed looked up at the rundown apartment building, his hands buried in his pockets. He was used to randomly packing up his things to leave without any notice or an explanation why. Not that it was hard to figure out. Considering neither brothers nor McDougal wanted to be noticed by the military, it made sense they wouldn't stay in the same place for long. It would have been nice to get a bigger warning when possible, but McDougal had always been in a fickle mood. They left when the man felt like it. But Edward was far from sad about it. He had no attachment to the place. If anything it was good riddance.

He let out a long sigh. “Come on, Al. We don't want to keep him waiting longer than he needs to.”

Turning their backs to the apartments, the two brothers set on their journey across town. The walk would be long. It wasn't anything they weren't used to, but Edward certainly wasn't looking forward to the nub of his automail leg possibly getting irritated or sore. Nor did he want to have time to think about what the older alchemist had been hiding from them.

It wasn't like Edward had ever really cared before. It had always been a mutual understanding not to ask too many private questions of each other. They didn't trust each other and they didn't need to. They had a deal that benefited both parties, so it wasn't like any of that had changed. Of course Ed had always been curious what McDougal was up to, yet to pry him for more information felt like breaking part of the unspoken pack they shared.

Regardless, it wasn't either his or Al’s business. It didn't matter. What was important was getting their bodies back. They didn't need to waste their time getting distracted by whatever side hustle their guardian was getting into.

The teens eyes drifted as he shoved his fists deeper into his pockets. His eyes drifted to scanning his surroundings. Something he should have been doing from the start, but his mind had wandered. He sucked in a sudden breath. Stopping in his tracks, Ed immediately pulled Al into one of the shops. The suit of armor clanked from the sudden quick movements. “Brother, what are you-” he didn't get to finish before the older teen offered a response.

“I recognized them.” He tilted his head to peek out the window, spying on the couple.

Al fell silent and scanned the streets of any unwanted passersby. “Who?”

“Over there at the tables. That second lieutenant that stopped us yesterday is there,” the blond explained.

“Ok? Why are we hiding from him? He didn't seem to be much of a threat.” Metal clanked as the boy crossed his arms.

The older brother glared suspiciously out the window. “Because the strange woman that showed up at the apartment is eating with him.”

“What? Are you sure?” Al leaned down to get a better view. Edward could feel when his brother finally caught sight of them, because the armor squeaked as his body tensed. “What do you think this means?”

Edward sighed as he shook his head. “I don't know. They appear to be on a date at least. It doesn't seem like a business interaction.”

The two fell silent as they watched closely, trying to make out what the couple was speaking of? Would she sell the two of them and McDougal out? Or perhaps the second lieutenant was secretly on their side, but why would he? What could he possibly gain with that?

He was rudely pulled from his thoughts as a man stepped up to them. “May I help you? Is there anything in particular you were looking for?”

The teen looked over at him, clocking in his suit. He obviously worked there, so he offered a casual half truth. “Nah, just looking.”

The man raised a brow, looking oddly amused. “Well, I'm around the corner if you need me. Sir.” He passed a nod to All before walking away.

What was his deal? Ed glanced at the window again, this time looking at the store display. There were four mannequins posing, each in a different set of lingerie styled on them. Edward felt the heat rising to his face and turned around to appear as if he was looking at something else. To his displeasure, he was met with only more mannequins. What kind of cruel joke was the universe playing with him now? It was fine. It didn't matter. It wasn't actually a big deal, but, gosh, was this embarrassing and uncomfortable.

“I guess my suit of armor does help our case a little bit,” Al whispered.

Edward groaned. “Shut up,” he muttered under his breath, face completely red. “Let’s just leave separately. Maybe they won't notice us if we split up.”

“Well,” Alphonse began slowly in a hushed tone, “If we do that, you should go first. They'll less likely ask questions from me rather than why… you know… a fifteen-year-old boy is in here by himself?”

As much as Edward wanted to argue, his brother had a valid point. Plus he wanted out as soon as possible, even if he was sure Al probably felt the same. Luck just hadn't been on their side the past couple of days, had it?

“Fine,” he huffed. “Just don't wait too long before following me. I guess we'll meet up a few blocks down. Sound good?”

Al nodded, his helmet clanking from the movement. “Yep. Just be careful.”

The teen waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. You too,” he muttered.

Without another word, the boys nodded their goodbyes. Ed opened and closed the shop door, trying to act as casual as possible. Shoving his hands in his coat pockets, he turned his head to be looking at the shop windows as if he was on a leisurely stroll. It took everything in him not to look in the woman's and second lieutenant's direction as he walked past them. They were on the opposite street, so unless they turned their heads, he was probably in the clear. If they could even recognize him after only meeting him once.

Once he turned the corner, he let himself breathe out a sigh of relief. He picked up his pace, walking briskly towards the agreed meeting place. Al would soon follow after him, but he preferred to put as much distance between himself and the two acquaintances causing a pain in his side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roy shifted through his papers. He paused upon seeing the title of one. He scanned the contents. The name “Isaac McDougal” rang a bell. If he remembered correctly-which he always did-he had been a part of the attack on Ishval. He was never close to the man, but he distinctly remembered reading an article about how he deserted after the troops had pulled out.

Apparently, there had been a few possible sightings of him in Central. Most had believed him to already be dead, but a few random citizens were convinced they saw him in uniform. If it had been one or two claims, he would have counted it as a coincidence. That they had simply confused a major for the Freezing Alchemist. However, there were at least seven, and that was more than enough to at least be looked into.

A heavy sigh left his body before a small smirk played on his lips. Mustang always loved the idea of new opportunities. He took any chance presented to him to showcase his success. To make the elite pay attention to him and add good tracks to his records for promotions. A wanted deserter as high level trained in alchemy as McDougal was certainly to give him a little extra credit, right?