Chapter Text
When Edward says he was still recovering from Promised Day when he was given his next mission, he meant that he was actively in physical therapy when he was notified that — temporary — Fuhrer Grumman was calling for his presence in his office.
Doctor Knox, who was overseeing Edward to make sure he wouldn't run away from the physical therapist who was overseeing the session (which Ed totally thought was unnecessary, he'd been doing these sessions for almost two months now, trying to steadily regain strength in his returned arm, and he hadn't run away from shit! Other than that time he tried to go see Al... but that couldn't count!) had been very unpleased with the interruption.
"Can this not wait?" Knox huffs "He's obviously in the middle of something."
"I'm sorry, but the Fuhrer insisted!" the poor soldier who was sent to get Ed says, "He said it wouldn't take long at all!"
Ed's actual physical therapist looks back and forth between Knox and the soldier. She looks at Ed's returned arm, then the other which was still wrapped up and healing due to having been impaled by a rod.
Knox was still arguing with the soldier, and Ed was close to feeling bad for the poor guy, so he decides to intervene "Doc, it's alright. I can go. Unless..." Ed turns towards his physical therapist "Do you have any objections?"
"If it's a direct order from the Fuhrer, I'm afraid I don't exactly have a choice," she says, sounding slightly annoyed, but much less than Knox "But no straining your arms. Especially that left arm of yours. I don't want to hear you even moved it, let it heal properly!"
"Yes Ma'am," Edward salutes half-heartedly with his right arm. He drops it immediately with the glare sent its way.
Ed is led out of the room by the soldier, where they are then flanked by more soldiers dressed in blue uniforms. He recognizes some of them from Briggs, under General Armstrong's command, others from passing by while in Central and Eastern Command. One though, was extremely familiar...
"Hey, Chief."
Coming from anyone else, it was almost like a light switch being turned on with how quickly Edward's face had brightened up with a wide grin "Havoc! You're back on your feet!"
"And you're back on your foot! How's having two real arms again?" Havoc grins back as they walk out of the hospital to the car readied for the teenager, and the surrounding cars for the many soldiers ensuring them a safe trip.
Ed makes a face that looks like a mix between exhaustion and contemplation "Tedious. It's like automail all over again, except I have a much higher pain tolerance now and I make the average recovery time instead of crunching it from three years to one year."
"...You make it?"
"Have you met a human being who's ever regrown a limb before?" Edward deadpans as they get into the car. The engine starts, and the driver starts driving towards Central Command.
"Can't say I have, great point Chief."
"They're treating it as they would someone who's either gotten out of a coma or recovering from paralysis. Somewhere in the mix of that, I think. But I promised Al and Win I wouldn't rush the recovery this time, so I'm off my arms for the next couple of months outside of physical therapy. I don't really care too much, since I have time now, but it's still a pain in the ass to not be able to use my arms. You know they had a nurse feed me? I'm not a goddamn child! I don't need to be fucking fed! They aren't doing it anymore now that I have more strength in my right arm, thank Truth!"
"Chief, please tell me you haven't been giving the nurses a hard time."
"Fuck off, I do have manners, you know! If anyone was giving them a hard time, it was Ling and Lan Fan before they went back to Xing! Ling kept trying to sneak into my room and Lan Fan kept worrying the shit out of the nurses when she started coughing up blood! She really heard I recovered from limb loss in a year and decided she'd beat the fucking record, didn't she?! It didn't help that she refused to get that shit treated and just followed the Idiot Prince all over the place!"
"Why the fuck was the soon-to-be-Emperor of Xing and his bodyguard sneaking into your hospital room?" Havoc asks as the car stops in front of Central Command, scrunching his face. He reaches for the door.
"Nothing serious, Ling just wanted me to become a 'Consort of the Xingese Crown' or some other fancy shit like that."
There is a loud thud as Havoc hit his head on the door frame. Hard. "I'm sorry, what?" he asks, rubbing the bump on his forehead. The driver, who had also been about to get out of the car had paused in their tracks, jaw dropped.
"He kept asking if I'd be his cons—"
"Elric, I heard you the first time. Do you know what he was asking you?"
"Obviously, I'm not a fucking idiot. Don't get me wrong, I like Ling plenty, but I'm not interested in that shit."
Havoc stares at the blond child in front of him "Let me get this straight. The future Emperor of Xing asked you to essentially marry him, and you, though apparently fully reciprocal of his feelings, said no?"
"I really don't understand why this is so hard for you."
Havoc opens his mouth, but is cut off by another soldier that had come from the car behind them "What's the hold up, First Lieutenant Havoc? We don't want to keep the Fuhrer waiting."
Ed, following Havoc out of the car, responds immediately, snapping at the solider "Fuhrer Grumman can wait 2 minutes for his oh-so-esteemed guest to have a conversation with a colleague. Or is that a problem, officer?"
Now, in no way did Edward Elric look anything close to threatening at that moment, still in the clothes he had worn to his PT (a loose, no sleeves, white shirt and a pair of shorts that went down below his knees, so were they really shorts at that point? He wouldn't know) bandages wrapped around his head and left arm, right arm looking significantly weaker and paler than the rest of his body, dark circles under his eyes like he hadn't had a proper night's sleep in years, and an automail leg that was out in the open for everyone to see, squeaking with every movement because Ed desperately needed to remember to oil it, but apparently his tone had done the job, because the soldier had immediately apologized and stepped out of the way. He almost felt bad after, but it had been a while since he could talk to Havoc like this, especially after the incident with Lust. He was not having some soldier rush him.
He also really didn't understand why Havoc was having so much trouble understanding this. Ling himself had taken it very well, after dramatized wailing and yearning, promising to make a proposal so desirable Ed couldn't possibly refuse. Edward had stared at him, before crossing his arms and huffing out "There's only one thing I want from you that could possibly make me say yes to that."
Ling had taken it as a challenge, before being pushed out of the room by the nurses, Lan Fan following close behind. It was after Ling had left sight and hearing range, of course, that Ed's face had burst into flames, turning his cheeks as red as tomatoes. But no one needed to know that.
As they walked into Central Command, Ed heard Havoc mutter silently "Thank God for the patience of Alphonse Elric and Winry Rockbell. Where would we be without them?"
"Don't thank God, God didn't do shit for them," Ed huffed, turning his nose up "Thank the Rockbells and my and Al's mom. And maybe Hohenheim, if you want to stretch it."
"What the fuck even happened with Hohenheim? Cause last I heard is he appeared in Liore for some shit and then he was in Central afterwards."
"Died. In Resembool, in front of Mom's grave. Peaceful, according to Granny Pinako. Must've been nice after four hundred years."
"Oh...Wait. Four hundred years?!"
"Did you not know that part? Turns out old pops left because he was actually a living Philosopher's Stone and didn't want to outlive his family."
"Chief, you're a little too calm for this. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's been a couple months anyway. He and Mom are finally together again, and Al and I are here. We'll be okay. What about you, did you get a girlfriend in your break? Have any new people moved to Resembool?"
Havoc's stare turns sour immediately at Ed's maniacal grin and his sudden question "Chief, I think our definitions of break are two very different things. See, I was paralyzed and forced to work in my family's shop, which, contrary to popular opinion, is not a break, but an extended medical leave. And there's no new people, there haven't been new people in Resembool in years, you know that. I had a short thing with bar owner's daughter though..."
"Lemme guess, Mustang ruined it?"
"I am not above punching an injured soldier."
"You just know I'm right and don't want to admit it!"
"You're a stupid kid who wouldn't know shit!"
"Sure, why are you so defensive then, huh? I've been in Mustang's unit for over 4 years now, and I can't count the number of times Mustang's stolen a girl from you. Some guys too, now that I think about it. Isn't he straight?"
"He is! He does it just to spite me, I swear to God!
Ed grinned hard as Havoc ranted angrily, shaking his fist in the air. Oh, he was triggered now.
He cut Havoc short as a thought came into his head "Speaking of Mustang and parents, didn't Grumman make new laws for minors in the military? Doesn't my 'guardian' have to be here since I'm being called to meet personally with higher ups or something?"
"Yup, that's why I'm here. Mustang's in Rehabilitation right now, so I have temporary guardianship of you."
"I thought that fell to Lieutenant Hawkeye if Mustang wasn't available."
"Do you really think Hawkeye would leave Mustang's side while he's in Rehabilitation? And I'm offended, you get to hang with Big Brother Jean for a bit."
"Absolutely not. Why would you say that to me?"
"You've called me that before."
"I was six."
"Still called me Big Brother Jean."
"I was six, and you were going away to the military."
"Aww, you still remember!"
"Do I need to remind you that you told me to leave as soon as you first saw me step into Mustang's office? You went 'Absolutely not, that is a child. I know that child. Why is that child here? Leave, you shouldn't be here.' Who the fuck says that to a new recruit?"
"Someone who just was told the new member on their military unit was a 12-year-old from the same hometown as them."
"That 12-year-old did better on the state alchemist exams than most grown men, actually, and could take care of himself just fine!"
As they walk through the building, Ed subconsciously realizes that there are faint drilling noises and people in construction gear walking through the halls, a variety of materials and tools in hand. Central Command was still being reconstructed from Promised Day. He remembered the hordes of dead soldiers that had stormed the halls, silently wondering how much damage they had really done.
Ed looks down at his hands. He remembered Mustang's words from then, but it didn't mean he didn't still remember what it felt like to crush those bodies with his alchemy, how it felt to dismember them and cut through their limbs with his automail blade. Whether they were already dead or not wouldn't have made a difference if his eyes were closed.
It took nearly running into someone for Edward to snap out of it. He promptly realizes that they were in front of the door to the Fuhrer's office, about to go in. His back straightens almost on instinct as the other soldiers clear a path, lined up on either side of the door, Ed at the center. There was one soldier positioned at the door, hand on the knob, waiting.
It took a second of him just standing there until he realizes they were waiting for him. Ed proceeds to stall a little longer, turning over the idea of just bolting rather than talking to Fuhrer Grumman. He ultimately decides it wouldn't be a good idea. Instead, Ed takes a step forward, and then another. The door opens, and he braces himself for whatever the fuck the Fuhrer wants to talk to him about.
~~~~~
Being the #3 Hero in Japan and raised by the Hero Commission meant that a lot of the time, Hawks was sent on diplomatic missions, whether it was merely being a bodyguard to actually going through the processes himself, following the Commission's orders. Currently, it was the latter, but Hawks had almost laughed when the President told him he would be going to the Quirkless Continent. He didn't, obviously, because that wouldn't have ended well, but he wanted to.
The Quirkless Continent was infamous for having shut itself off from the rest of the world during the dawn of Quirks. Consequently, they had no clue what occurred inside the borders, other than they were completely Quirkless. It was the type of mystery people would go crazy over on the internet, creating outlandish ideas on what could possibly be going on over there.
So, when Hawks got a total of three decently sized books detailing the history of most of what had been going on over there, his first thought was "The conspiracy theorists are going to go wild with this one."
Now, he's in the heart of the continent itself, talking to the leader of the central country, Amestris. From what he's learned, the country was heavily military based and was split into five divisions: North, East, West, South, and Central. Until recently, they were locked into wars on almost all sides by all of the countries they were bordering. Fortunately for them, when the current Fuhrer took his place, he'd made many efforts for peace within the continent. There were peace-treaties and ceasefires written with Creta to the West and Aeruego to the South, while there were delicate balances with Drachma to the North, as well as strong relations with Xing, the country across the desert.
Unfortunately for Hawks, the new Fuhrer was also one of those people.
Fuhrer Grumman laughs, talking in Amestrian, slapping Hawks on the back, right where his wings would've sprouted from, had his feathers not been distributed throughout the building and the room they were in. Still, the skin's sensitive, even under the suit he was wearing, and he has to bite back a wince. The translator provided to Hawks (He wasn't a genius; there was no way he was learning a language in five weeks, and the translator's Quirk was a neat polyglot, voice changing ability) quickly translates for him "You're much too formal, you should relax a little!"
"Fuhrer, with all due respect," Hawks starts "You were the one to suggest this diplomatic exchange."
The translator converts Hawks' words to Amestrian and he can't help but feel it uncanny how his voice sounded in the other language. Some of the soldiers posted at the doors stiffen at the voice. There is a mutter he can't understand, but he could hear the nerves in their voices through his feathers.
The Fuhrer says something else, and Hawks' attention is drawn back to him.
"Right, of course," He sighs "I've been informed on the candidates Japan wants to bring here and I've accepted two after much discussion. You'll find their files here."
Hawks accepts the stack of papers pushed towards him, opening both folders to see the heroes they had chosen. He is welcomed by Rock Lock and Mandalay's Hero IDs.
"The plan is for these two to stay in Amestris for six months, correct?" Hawks asks, raising an eyebrow "There are better options for a long-term stay. Rock Lock has a family, and Mandalay is the leader of a Hero Team."
Grumman listens as the words are translated, before nodding "So I've seen. But alas, out of the options you've given us, these two are... how do you say it? The most normal looking. You have to consider the state of the country right now. Your-" He pauses. Looks over at another officer who whispered something to him "Ah, yes, Quirks, they are certainly interesting. They're very new. If we were to let the public warm up to Quirks using one of your mutants, the public wouldn't trust us, let alone you. But decreasing the time they stay is also always an option. Is three months fine instead?"
Hawks considers this, before saying "I will make sure contact my superiors, as well as the heroes themselves about this change. You will hear back about it within the next couple of weeks or so. What about your candidates?"
The Fuhrer smiles, in the way that was a little unsettling, but not enough to be uncomfortable "Yes, of course. I have three but considering one is busy trying to steal my position, only two of them are available for the position. They're brothers, but only one is a soldier so we'll have to convince the younger one... I'm sure you've seen the reconstruction on your way here?"
At Hawks' nod, he keeps going "Well, these two fought in the battle that caused the destruction and are currently in recovery. In fact, I sent for the elder one right before you arrived. He should be here soon, and you can meet him yourself. They're easily some of our strongest, in intelligence and overall expertise. They're also the reason our entire country isn't dead."
Hawks tilted his head in concern. He feels the need to ask.
"Is that an exaggeration?"
Furher Grumman laughs. He does not answer.
Hawks decides not to ask again. He would probably find out later anyway. Instead, he asks "And what would make them a good fit?"
"Well, for now it would just be one of them, since the elder has considerably less recovery to do than the younger one does, but they're both research oriented and quick to think on their feet. The change from our world to yours won't be a problem. They're very popular among civilians as well. The diplomatic duties won't be a problem in their hands."
Hawks think this over "They sound like they would do well. You said I would be able to meet them, correct?"
"The elder one, yes. Oh, it looks like he's here now."
The doors open wide, revealing a squadron of soldiers who file into the room, led by a someone in loose clothing and bandages wrapped around some parts of his body — Hawks remembers the Fuhrer saying something about them being in recovery — along with a metal left leg. Even if he couldn't see it, Hawks was sure he would've been able to hear if, from the different sound it made as it hit the floor through the bottom of his shoe and the faint squeaks that vibrated through the joints.
His hair is a striking gold Hawks hasn't yet seen throughout the civilians and soldiers of this country, longer than the average and tied up in a braid. He seems young, shorter than the rest, the slightest hint of baby fat still clinging to his face. His eyes are a similar gold to his hair, and there's a type of cloudiness behind them that Hawks has only ever seen in retired pros.
Hawks keeps a reaction off his face, but his inner thoughts tense at the idea of a teenager in the military. He doesn't look older than 16 yet apparently has been in battle, saved a country, and has been through enough to have lost a leg. No one should have to go through that much at such a young age.
Another part of him whispers that Hawks himself was much younger. Most kids destine their lives to be pros at his age.
The soldiers salute in sync, right hands snapping up, feet locking into a 45-degree angle with practiced precision. The boy's feet go in position, back ramrod straight, but his arms don't move. Hawks sees the bandages around his left forearm, and his eyes are drawn to the scars peeking from where his sleeve ends on his right arm. He's never seen a scar pattern quite like that one before.
Grumman says something, and Hawks pays attention to the words said by the translator "Good afternoon, Fullmetal. Why don't you introduce yourself to our guest here? This is Hawks, and he's a diplomat from outside the continent."
The boy — Fullmetal, was it? It seemed close to a title, similar to hero names more than normal military ranks and it definitely wasn't an actual name — turns to Hawks, eyes widening with curiosity at 'from outside the continent' before bowing slightly while still maintaining eye contact, saying "Major Edward Elric, sir. Nice to meet you, sir."
Hawks realizes quickly that the boy — Elric — has not been told anything about this, if he is surprised about Hawks' presence.
Grumman speaks up again.
"Fullmetal—" There again with that title, Hawks thinks "—What do you think about heading out of the continent as a diplomat in say, a couple months' time? For research purposes? To an island country called Japan, where our guest here is from."
Elric blinks, almost taken aback by the sudden request. "With all honesty, Fuhrer Grumman?"
"Of course."
"I am actively filling out forms to retire from the military. I was going to go home with my brother, sir."
"Yes, I am perfectly aware. Major Armstrong was very explicitly joyful and tearful while describing it to me. Something about a courageous and thoughtful endeavor to continue your research into other places in our continent."
Elric winces at the mention of the other soldier, and then again at the continued endeavor "He... wasn't supposed to tell anyone in the military about that."
"I assumed, but there is no problem from my part, you won't need to worry. All I'm saying is, why not start your journey exploring outside of the continent? And of course, your brother could go with you, if not a few months after if his recovery takes longer."
Apparently, that does the trick for Elric, because something in his expression changes. It feels like more than just interest in the area, more like a hunger for more knowledge paired with an endless curiosity. But there's still some hesitance.
"Am I really the best option for this? After the battle... it took away my— " He falters, and Hawks fights to glance down at his leg. "You should be aware of my situation. I can't do many of the things I used to be able to."
Grumman laughs "I'm not asking you to involve yourself in battle, Fullmetal. I don't believe it is something that will affect your mission."
Hawks intervenes "If all the things the Fuhrer says about you are true, then your prosthetic won't be a problem. We are able to provide accommodations for situations like these." He's intrigued by Elric; There's something different about him, in the good way because Hawks wouldn't risk the state of his country if it was in the bad way.
There's an odd look on Elric's face that leaves as quickly as it came. He stares at Hawks, eyes trailing across his entire figure, and it's only because Hawks is paying attention to his eyes that he sees the moment when his pupils go white, a stark contrast from the deep gold, his eyes swallowed by the blank color.
Elric falls backwards for a split second, and Hawks is on his way to get out of his seat to catch him before he falls, when Elric catches himself, eyes normal once again.
What was that? Hawks thinks, almost doubting himself and his senses. But he'd seen it. That shouldn't happen. If it had been anywhere else, he could've blamed it on a dormant Quirk, one that could notify someone injuries or something along the lines of that, but there were no Quirks here. There weren't supposed to be at least. He didn't have any other explanation for it.
Elric apologizes, blaming his stumble on losing his balance for a split second, after all he was still in recovery.
He accepts the offer.
Then, he turns to Hawks and bows deeply. He says "Thank you for your future hospitality and this opportunity. I hope to work with you in the future."
It is only until after he turns and leaves, the squadron of soldiers trailing behind, that Hawks realizes that he had said it entirely in perfect Japanese.