Chapter Text
Mustang is a normal man.
He has seen the horrors of the war.
Nothing disgusts him anymore.
His heart hardened from the sights of children blowing up and parents crying for them.
He is a strong Colonel.
Nothing fucking disgusts him anymore !
But William…
-—-
After the Ishval Civil War, many years later, Roy Mustang led a somewhat normal life. Wake up, paperwork, drink a glass and go to sleep. Shower, optionally eat dinner, a well-rounded schedule.
His office runs cleanly. Little mishaps, little issues, comfortable silence reigns under his right hand woman Hawkeye's firm watch.
Sometimes he goes on dates.
Sometimes he drinks himself to sleep.
Roy Mustang is a Lieutenant-Colonel who goes through the motions, awaiting for the right moment to jump through ranks and become Fuhrer. He has high hopes, visions of a future he wishes to fulfil.
His routine never changes. Still the same. Until one day he found a kid.
He was going home after a day of paperwork, hoping to get blackout drunk after the hard morning. General Asshat coming to bother him and his team with an inspection, and he didn't feel like caring and remembering his mistakes done in front of a higher ranking lad.
Except that before he met his favorite bar, he bumped into something. Golden like the sun that was not shining today. No, it was raining. Somehow, the sight of the one weather that didn't trigger his sole weakness angered him. He fell back and swore, and glared at the poor sunny soul who dared knock him down.
He softened slightly when he saw a kid. A boy, with hair golden like the sun and dark eyes. No, grey...like the clouds above ?
He narrowed his own eyes. That wasn't exactly right either.
The boy's eyes were shining. Silver. Peculiar, he thought. He never met anyone with this particular shade.
The boy seemed to be around ten or eleven. He blinked at him momentarily frozen, and quickly jumped to his feet. His knees were raw and a little...off. The patella was off-center, yet he stood like nothing was wrong, even if his ankles were swollen and red.
“Sorry ! I wasn't watching where I was going, Sir, I'm really sorry !” He said, grabbing Roy's hand to pull him up. Roy blinked back and shook his hand out of the kid's grip. He stood up by himself and sighed, eyeing the boy.
He was wearing tattered clothes that were too small. He frowned. “Where are your parents, kid ?” He asked.
The boy stiffened and grinned. “Oh, they, uh…I'm an orphan. My dad's gone and my mom's dead.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Each movement looked weong, creaky in a way. He also seemed rather hesitant, nervousness seeping from his grin. Great, now Mustang felt bad for being mad at this random kid.
“Are you alone then ? No caretaker ? No other family ?”
The kid straightened up. “I have two little brothers ! Edward and Alphonse !” He announced proudly, Eastern accent thickly audible. “They're both adorable.”
Mustang found himself walking alongside the kid. “Where are they ?”
He almost froze when the boy grabbed his hand, burning his glove with its gentle warmth.
“Well…that's the thing. I don't know.” He softly said, eyes downcast. “I don't really remember what happened, but for a reason we got separated. I'm lookin' for them, but I have no idea where they've been taken.”
This made alarms go off in Roy's head. Taken ?
“They were taken ?” He asked, voice edging on a lower, more concealed tone.
The boy shrugged. “I think. It's a little fuzzy. All I know is that they were calling for each other.” He frowned. “Though…Tucker...”
The bar was near. Yet Roy stopped. Tucker, Shou Tucker, the Life-Sewing Alchemist. Involved with two kids disappearing ?
“Tucker ?” He repeated.
The boy's eyes went wide. “I…”
“You know the Life-Sewing Alchemist ?” Roy crouched in front of the boy. He seemed completely lost.
“Who ? I-I don't know ! I don't know who Tucker is !” The boy panicked out of nowhere, holding his head. He doubled over, and Roy reached out to steady him.
“Hey ! Hey, it's okay. It's nobody. Don't worry.” The boy looked up with teary eyes. Roy's heart ached. This boy seemed so young and earnest, about to burst into tears. An older brother who had no idea where his siblings were. Could he cheer him up somehow ?
Why did he care ?
It was just an orphan boy. Nothing special about him was it not for the eyes. He didn't have to help him. Hell, nobody would give a fuck if this kid died on the street. Roy wasn't the fatherly type. He had killed children. He had no right, even if he deeply regretted it.
Yet, a boy was fretting and crying.
Frankly, a murderer could fall for those innocent silver eyes.
“Hey ! I know ! Could some nice juice cheer you up ?” He grinned. The boy's tears stopped, and he seemed to consider the idea.
“It's kinda weird to offer juice to a kid you dunno.” He deadpanned. The change in behavior set Roy off. “But alright. You're from the military, right ?” He asked, as Roy got back on his legs and headed to the bar, holding the boy's hand.
He nodded. “Lieutenant-Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. You ?”
The boy wiped his nose and then scrunched it. “I'm William. William Elric. That's the name my mother gave me.” He then looked back at Roy. “You'll help me look for Ed and Al ?”
The boldness made Roy smile. This boy would go places.
Fondness was not a good look on his face, despite what Hughes may think.
“Sure.”
Once in the bar, he waved at the girls and sat in front of his adoptive mother. The Madam. The kid sat down next to him, curiously watching around.
“That's a brothel ?” He bluntly asked, making Mustang choke on his saliva.
“No, that's a hostess bar.”
“Oh. Well, no difference to me. What've they got ?’
Roy gave him a mild glare at the refusal to see the obvious difference and shrugged. “You look young, so I'd say milk or orange juice.”
William's face scrunched at the word ‘milk’. He stuck his tongue out in disgust. “Orange juice ! Please ! Milk is gross.”
Roy snorted. Literally a child. “You could use some milk though, buddy. You look like you're three apples high.”
He was not expecting the outburst.
“Hey, I'm not short ! That's rude ! I'm just- I'm still growing ! I'm a kid !”
Roy couldn't help a hearty laugh from spilling past his lips. “Okay, okay, I got it. How old are you, though ?”
The boy froze, and began to count with his fingers. It was a little endearing. What came next was less adorable. “I…was born in 1899. So…I guess I'm eleven ? It doesn't feel very right though…” He seemed confused. Roy frowned.
“It doesn't ?”
Maybe the boy had been locked up somewhere for a while and didn't know which year it was. Which would be worrying, but would go along with the kidnapping plot that was brewing in Roy's mind. A plot in which one fellow State Alchemist, as disturbing as his field is, would be involved in.
Roy sighed. He needed a drink.
“Well, is it not my Roy Boy. Who is that ?”
Roy smiled at his aunt, Madam Christmas. Smoking pipe in her hand, she looked down at him with her piercing eyes.
“A kid I picked off of the street.” He glanced at the kid, gesturing at his aunt with his chin in order to prompt him to introduce himself.
“William Elric, ma'am. Nice to meet you.” He said, smile back on his face.
Christmas stared at the boy. “Filthy boy. What does he want ?” She asked Roy.
“An orange juice, please.”
“Roger that. Vanessa, get the kid an orange juice and a black coffee for Roy.”
Vanessa agreed with a cheerful shout.
Roy frowned. “Wait, I want a beer-"
“Not around a child.”
The boy snickered. Roy glared daggers at him.
After some wait, the drinks were ready. The boy sipped joyfully, kicking his legs. Roy looked at him with his coffee and a warm smile on his face.
“Alright, Roy Boy, what's up with him ?” His aunt suddenly asked. Roy's face turned from fond to serious.
“His younger brothers Edward and Alphonse were taken from him. He says he's from 1899, and that he's eleven, but it seems wrong to him. That, and he mentioned Shou Tucker. He panicked and said he didn't know who it was.” He calmly explained, eyeing William being pampered by the Madam's girls. They were poking at him and pinching his cheeks. He seemed half miffed and half pleased at the attention.
Strange.
“I see. Isn't that the State Alchemist specialized in chimeras ?” She asked. He nodded. His frown matched her scrunched and wrinkled face.
“I wouldn't accuse a fellow State Alchemist of anything, but we need to consider each possibility.” A grumble. “The military is fucking corrupted either way. He might have something to do with William's brothers’ disappearance.” He stated, stomach churning and eating at its own walls. Poor kid. Scrap that, poor children. Being separated from one another when they had no parents must be terrifying.
She nodded. “I'll investigate. What will you do with him, though ?”
Roy looked at William. He shouldn't grow attached. The boy couldn't stay forever with a war criminal. Yet, his plump and rosy cheeks and those silver, earnest eyes were making something in him buckle.
He wanted to protect this boy.
He had only known him for a few hours and already felt like he needed him.
He would make sure the Elric brothers are reunited.
“I'll take him in. At least for the night. My subordinate Falman has children, maybe he could take him in. Or, Hughes may also grow attached. You know how he gets, after all. His child isn't even born yet and he's head over heels. If I asked him and Gracia, they wouldn't hesitate.”
“Don't get carried away, Roy Boy. He may have some family.” His aunt cut him off, with her usual critical eye.
“He's an orphan.” Roy retorted.
“But he may have family friends or uncles.”
This shut him up. He sighed. “I count on you to find things. Please.”
“I will. Now, shoo off.”
Roy grimaced and downed his coffee, before grabbing his coat and going over to the kid. “William, let's go.”
“Go where ?” He asked.
“My home. You're staying with me until we find a place for you.”
William frowned. “I ain't staying with you when my brothers may be in danger. Plus, I don't even know you !”
“I got you orange juice.”
“Kidnappers get kids candy.” The boy shot back, challenge in his voice. Roy pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Look, I'm using my contacts to find clues about your brothers. Now, as a Lieutenant-Colonel, I will make sure they can be retrieved and returned to you. But to make sure this happens, I need to know where you are. Now, it's 7 PM, and I would feel bad to leave a kid out sleeping on the streets. So, you're coming with me.”
The boy seemed to consider his words, before groaning. “Okay.” He dramatically jumped down from his stool and grabbed his hand again.
For a boy so wary of him, he was very attached too. Roy waved goodbye to the others and made his way back to his apartment with the boy.
The walk was silent.
He arrived before his door. Thankfully he was on day off.
He fumbled with his keys and let William in. The boy looked all around, before plopping down on the couch and seemingly calling it a day. Roy's brow twitched. “Oi, William, I'm gonna make dinner.” He called out. The boy shot up to his feet, suddenly excited. As if he wasn't about to doze off without food in his preteen stomach.
“Are we getting stew ? We love Mom's stew ! Well, loved.” He chuckled sheepishly.
Roy felt bad for shaking his head. “I have some frozen vegetables and chicken in my fridge.”
“Oh. Well.” He shrugged. “I don't really like veggies, though.”
Roy shrugged. “That's what you are getting.” He wasn't about to cater to a child's preferences for a night. Hopefully one night.
Yep, he wasn't going to keep him longer. Hughes could take him in.
A few minutes later, Roy had put down a plate in front of the boy. He picked around the food, carefully avoiding the carrots. It made Roy snort slightly. A kid through and through. They ate in silence, and he was pleased to see most of the vegetables were gone by the end. He quickly picked up the plates and cutlery and tossed them in the sink, then he came back to see William had fallen asleep, head smushed between his crossed arms.
Roy frowned at the way his heart swelled. He couldn't grow attached to some random orphan. Not him. He was the goddamn Flame Alchemist. With a sigh, he picked him up and plopped him down in a bunch of blankets on top of the couch.
He couldn't help but tuck him in.
As he left the room, a whisper made his skin crawl.
“Please…leave my big brother alone…”
-—-
The next day, Roy contacted both Maes and Riza. The kid was still asleep on his couch, and he noticed with a snort his shirt had ridden up, leaving his stomach bare. He noticed with unease William's stomach was...strangely bumpy. Pulsing.
He pulled the shirt back down and went to get the door, trying not to think about whatever condition the boy had. He grinned at his closest friends, letting them both inside his apartment.
“Oh, so this is your kid. He looks like his parents. Even got Mom's hair.” Maes wasted no time joking around with a grin, earning a death glare by Roy and a sigh by Riza.
“He's not my kid, Hughes. Look, Christmas is on the case already, but I'd ask you to keep an ear out.” He sat down next to the boy.
“Yeah, yeah. Edward and Alphonse Elric, right ?” Maes asked. Riza made a beeline for Roy's coffee machine.
“Two missing orphan children.” She whispered, eyes soft.
Roy knew she was thinking of these countless graves her guns created. She couldn't let herself grow close to children without remembering her victims. He felt the same thing she did.
Saving this boy's brothers might be a small redemption. A flimsy one, because three little lives would never be equivalent to the thousands lost.
William stretched. Roy's eyes snapped to him. The kid yawned and rubbed his eyes, then looked at the newcomers. He froze, eyebrows twitching.
“Good morning, William. Those are my colleagues Maes Hughes and Riza Hawkeye. They will help me find your brothers.” Roy sat down next to him. William gently nodded, brows completely furrowed. Roy frowned. He looked like…he was conflicted. He didn't know how to react to new people.
Maes crouched in front of William, grinning. “Hey there, William. Do you like cookies ? Roy could down an entire stash of those, so I always bring some when I swing by, but you see, he could use a diet right now.” He snickered, not without poking at Roy's hip. Roy gave him a glare and slapped his hand away. Hughes yelped and cradled his reddened hand, making William chuckle. Roy pouted at the mockery. He wasn't even chubby. Sure, his meals were exclusively beer and pasta with frozen vegetables but he was working out and he could easily burn through the fat with his gloves anyways !
He crossed his arms. Riza sat next to him and handed him a cup of coffee, rubbing his thigh. “You're just fine, Sir.” She reassured with a pat on his shoulder.
“Lieutenant…” Roy whimpered pathetically. Thankfully she existed.
William broke out of his strange trance after his chuckles, full on smiling now. “Cookies ! Fuck yeah !” He pumped his fist. Roy snorted, back to his good mood. Maes reached into his backpack and pulled out a small bag of cookies. Roy recognized the familiar smell of Gracia's baking, and smiled fondly.
The kid latched onto the sweet treats. Riza sat silently on the armchair.
“My wife baked those. Aren't they great ? I know they are, Gracia is the best baker out there !”
“Brother bakes better.” William blandly said, licking the sugar off his fingers. He grinned and grabbed another biscuit. Maes made a face.
“Hey ! Gracia is like a living angel, with her delicious cakes and meatballs and-”
“Cut it out, Hughes. He isn't listening.” Roy snickered.
“Aren't you supposed to help me ?” William asked Hughes with a raised eyebrow. “Go on, do your job, old man.”
Roy burst into loud laughter. He hadn't expected the kid to get like that with Maes. Oh, how the tables had turned.
Maes made a heartbroken face. “I'm not so old…” but nodded, and got more serious. “Okay. Roy, hand me some paper and a pen.”
Riza reached into her purse and gave Maes what he was asking before Roy could move. He picked up a cookie instead, playing it off like he wasn't caught off guard by his Lieutenant's efficiency.
“A saint you are, Riza. More than the thickhead next to you.” Maes laughed. Then he turned to the kid. “I will ask you some questions, and write down your answers. There is no bad answer, William, okay ? We just want to have a better grip on the situation.” He explained. William nodded.
Maes clicked on a recorder.
“Alright. What's your full name, your age and your birth date, your residence and something you like as well as something you hate ?” Maes began.
“My name is William. I live in Resembool, in the East, with Granny and Winry, and my…brothers. I like to swim ! And I hate milk.” He answered, gesturing to emphasize his speech.
“You didn't tell me your age.” Maes said. Roy could see his pen screeching against the sheet.
William seemed to freeze again. He looked to the right side. Maes narrowed his eyes. Then his pupils darted to the left. “I am…somewhere in between February and April…not sure when though…and I think I am around eleven…” He settled on that. “Yeah, that must be it.”
Roy already knew the boy was very confused with his age, but he thought it was out of being trapped away from calendars for a while. The fact he couldn't remember his own birthday was concerning, to say the least.
He sighed.
“I see. Now, do you remember how you came to lose your brothers ?”
William stared off into nowhere. “I…we were selling vegetables…and we were attacked by…” He cut himself off. “It was wrong. It was normal. I am normal. It was a strange dog, but I swear it was normal. The boys fought it off, and this man came…and we…” He went silent. Roy and Riza exchanged a look, and he recognized the gleam of worry in her coppery eyes which probably reflected in his own charcoal ones.
“Went into his house. Full of normal things…it was completely normal…and I left but I was me, and I was alone…”
Alright. Red flags are dangling brightly here. Nothing was normal. Roy tried to spring towards William out of instinct, but was pulled back by Riza. He was left reeling at his own reaction. What the hell ? Why did he have this urge to comfort the kid ?
“Normal, huh. Do you happen to remember the man ?” Hughes softly asked.
William clutched his head, distressed. “No ! No, I, don't !” He shouted, getting louder with each word until he began to sob.
He couldn't help it. Roy jumped next to the kid and Riza didn't stop him this time. He had to comfort him somehow, he just knew it. For some reason, William latched onto him and his shirt to wet it with his tears.
Roy looked down at the wailing creature. He met Riza's eyes, finding pain and hidden envy disguised as longing. Oh, his poor Queen. Roy wishes he could have prevented her involvement in the war.
The scars still ran deep.
Hughes also looked crushed, refusing to look at anyone and instead finding the coffee machine much more interesting. His mouth was pulled back in a stricken grin, one Roy knew how to recognize. In the face of atrocities, Hughes grins. To hide his own terror or to taunt his own feelings, Roy didn't know.
Without doubt, the cries of kids still haunted their ears to this day. William overlapped with a tan child bearing red eyes, and for a second Roy didn't know if it was sugar or sand crusting his mouth. His heartbeat picked up and he wrapped his arms around the weeping boy.
“T's not normal, is it…” William whispered against his chest, looking up at him. Roy's tormented eyes flashed down to his face. His own eyes brimmed with tears, cheeks glistening.
“I fear that it's not, kiddo.”
William stayed still in his arms for a few minutes. Eventually, Hughes turned the recorder off.
“I ought to go home, Roy, my wife will worry. I'll investigate. I count on you to take care of him.” He said, voice calm and solemn. Roy nodded, stroking William's hair. He stopped just when he noticed he was doing that, lamely dropping his hand down on the couch.
“Of course.”
Hughes left. Next was Riza, with a nod and a contemplating look to the kid who was now back to eating cookies.
They had lunch. Roy really wished he didn't have to keep William around too long.
-—-
“I'm bored, Roy.” William said. Roy shrugged.
“What do you want me to do ?” He answered. Then he pondered about things that could be entertaining for an eleven year old. “I…have some board games.” Not the spicy type he brought over to Havoc's apartment during afterwork parties, mind you.
William grimaced. “I'm not a kid. Board games are for babies.” He decided, crossing his arms.
“You sure do behave like one, kid.” Roy smiled to himself. “Okay, okay. Well…can you play chess ?”
He seemed to light up, silver eyes shining like gemstones. “Yeah !”
Roy got his chess board and began to play.
He was good at chess. He often played against General Grumman. He was confident. He would just tone it down a little, because he was playing against a kid. They tended to be explosive, and often didn't do well with utter failure, and William did have a hot-headed side, so-
“Checkmate.”
Roy blinked. Once. Twice. William grinned, dangling his bishop.
“You know, my brothers remind me of chess pieces. Al's more of a bishop, and Ed would be the knight.” He said, cheeky. “And I, I feel like I'd be a pawn.” Roy sighed, schooling in his childish irritation for losing to a kid. Fucking eleven.
“It's funny, because I also do see my subordinates as chess pieces. Of course, I am the King.” He started, smugness filling him.
William gave him a deadpan look. “Egotistical much.”
“Shut up.” Roy glared at him, before clearing his throat. “And Riza…she's my Queen.” He dragged the word on.
“Are you guys dating ?” He asked out of nowhere, making him choke.
“No ! Absolutely not !” He sputtered.
The kid grinned.
Goddamn fucking child.