#parental fma

[gijipaw]

This is to change

I like stories that involve parental Royed, however, they all have the same basis: Ed is kidnapped, tortured, etc and the plot is held by Roy taking care of him while Edward depressively passes the entire work, in addition, these stories forget the rest of the cast. I don't say don't be interesting, but any post-manga story? "What if ...?" I feel that we can explore more of this relationship and not always fall into the same formula.

[strawbebehmod]

I was having a bad night so I drew some self-indugent parental dragon!roy

he’s so happy his boys got their bodies back. 

[kawaiirun]

i dont even know

[goldennboyy]

Ed: Its a bit cold in here-- *is attacked by mounds of military jackets flying from every direction* 

[kawaiirun]

she has a lot on her mind

Riza Elric AU

[rizaisthesuperstar]

The Many Parents of Edward Elric (Part Six)

Alright, finally finished it! This is the longest I’ve spent on one of these chapters, and hopefully y’all enjoy! My intention was for this to focus on Mustang’s whole unit, but due to how I write the chapters, it’s ended up mostly focused on Havoc since he’s the narrator, but I’m still super happy with it. Let me know what y’all think, and I hope you enjoy!

AO3  Parts 1 2 3 5

--------------

Furey is making that “I feel nervous about what other people are saying” face. Which you’d think by now, the kid would have realized only adds more fuel to the fire, or at least to Havoc’s fire. It would seem today is not that day, which is just as well.

“Relax, Furey. Who are you worried about anyways? You really think Grummen is going to have a problem?”

Havoc snorts. Isn’t that a funny picture. Honestly, if this will be the thing that gets Mustang pulled into Grummen’s office, Havoc is even more set now than he was. What a sight that’d be.

Furey stammers for a minute as they round back to the office. They pass by another open office in a full on frenzy. Breda ignores them, Furey ducks his head, but Havoc takes a second to catch a few eyes with a smirk. He doesn’t like to rub stuff in people’s faces, not usually. But these are the guys that like to take pot shots at the crew. Not that Havoc always minds; it is part of the chief’s plan, but one of the offices on base isn’t in a frenzy today, and Havoc doesn’t mind letting them know.

Besides, he thinks as he lights his cigarette, pot shots at them is one thing. Pot shots at the boss and his brother are an entirely different thing.

Falman is, of course, working at his desk. Havoc, intent on taking full advantage of their situation, drops into his seat and kicks his feet up. He discreetly fingers the money in his pocket, attempting to count it by feel. He’s got enough to take a few hands, and Breda’s been bragging about his new place’s cheap rent…

Before he gets much further, the door slams open with a familiar thud, and the smirk on Havoc’s face grows into a full-blown grin, “Hey there, Boss.”

Ed looks strange without Al beside him. Havoc had figured Al’s imposing form was part of the reason the boss always looked so small, but standing in the doorway, the absence of Al somehow makes Ed seem even smaller, like he takes up even less space.

The kid barely acknowledges them as he stomps across the room, grumbling as he does, “Supposed to give the bastard something.”

“Unfortunately both the Colonel and the Lieutenant are absent on other business at the moment,” Falman says, still focused on his desk.

Havoc bites back a snicker at Ed’s stricken face, attempting to merge annoyance and relief.

Breda pulls back one of the chairs, “Don’t sweat it, chief. Boss’ll be back before too long.”

Furey’s head pops up from behind his absurdly large radio project, “But you said-”

Havoc reaches over and pushes his head back down behind the contraption, “Might as well stick it out. Pretty sure the Colonel won’t take ‘You were gone when I stopped by’ as an excuse.”

Ed’s gaze darts from the chair to the Colonel’s office door and back. It looks for a second like they’d convinced him, but he shakes his head and starts back towards the hall, “Al’s waiting for me back at the library-”

At that moment, the siren kicks off.

Ed’s reaction might be funny, if it wasn’t Ed. Something Havoc can verify as Furey reacts the same way. When Furey yelps and dives under the desk, it’s hilarious. When Ed lets out a similar noise and flinches hard into the table before scrambling under it, Havoc feels a strong urge to crawl under there with him and assure him everything will be fine.

 Breda rolls his eyes at Furey as Falman crosses to close and lock the door. Havoc takes a second to peer out the doors at the other offices. Oh yes, this is going to be great.

Turning back into the room, Havoc decides that Ed is the most immediate concern to deal with. Dropping his feet off the desk, he ducks down to look at the kid. He at least doesn’t look too freaked out, mostly just confused.

“Don’t worry, Chief. It’s just a drill.”

Ed’s face flushes a bit as he stands up. Or attempts to stand up.

“I kno-” 

The sound of Ed’s head colliding with the table makes Havoc wince. Ed hisses and clutches his head, but otherwise tries to brush it off, “I know that. Just- just didn’t know it was today, the… uh… you know…”

Falaman speaks up, “The Infiltration Lock-Down Drill.”

“Right, that. Infiltration… lock-down?” Ed’s face shifts into a confused look. Havoc studies him for a minute. He hadn’t hit his head that hard, right?

“Under certain circumstances, the protocol for an infiltration is to lock down part of the base, like if the Fuhrer happened to be here. So, during an infiltration drill, they’ll choose an office to be on lock-down. They get tested to make sure they’ve prepared to keep out intruders” Breda glances at Havoc with a smirk, “Well, at least for the other offices.”

Fuery, having lifted himself out from under his desk, pipes up, “You keep saying that, but what if they do come by-”

Havoc reaches over and pushes his head down again, “So, since the Chief is out of office, we get to stay in the office, on lock-down,” he returns Breda’s grin, “For, oh, a good few hours.”

Ed narrows his eyes, “Ok, but I need to get back to the library.” He starts to head towards the door.

To Havoc’s surprise, Fuery is the one to stop him. “No!” He grabs Ed’s arm, dropping it quickly when he receives Ed’s glare. “We may or may not be getting the full test treatment--” Havoc rolls his eyes-- “But they definitely will be checking to make sure that our door is locked down. If they see you out in the hall, they won’t just get onto you. They’ll get on to us.”

Havoc’s sure he hasn’t seen anyone this panicked over the prospect of getting in trouble since the Academy. Clearly they haven’t been doing enough to fully integrate Fuery into the Colonel’s office.

And apparently they haven’t for Ed either, though for different reasons.

“Look, I don’t have time to lay around all afternoon. I have to get back to- back to the- the- book… office…”

Falaman actually looks up from his desk, “Library?”

“Yeah…” Ed shakes his head, as if to clear it. “Library…”

Breda stands up, “You ok there, Chief? Didn’t smack your head too hard, huh?”

Ed shakes his head again, a little more firmly, “No, just tired. You know, lot of stuff to go through…” He trails off, and Havoc feels a bit more concerned when instead of starting for the door again, the kid just stares off into space.

“Uh,” Havoc waits til Ed blinks and looks up at him, “How much sleep you been gettin?”

“Enough.”

Ah yes. What a reassuring answer.

Havoc exchanges a glance with Breda, and stands to approach Ed.

“Look,” Havoc slings an arm around Ed’s shoulder, turning him away from the door, “whatever research you’ve got, I’m sure it can wait a few hours. Besides, this is the perfect excuse for a break!”

Ed glares up at him, “I don’t need a break. I need to get back to my research.” He goes to shove off Havoc’s arm.

There’s a moment, just a short one, where Havoc evaluates the situation. Because, all else aside, Ed is technically a major. That makes him the highest ranked officer in the office at the moment. The kid hasn’t tried to throw his weight around with that title, at least to Havoc’s knowledge, but he could. He takes just a moment to imagine this with any other officer. Heck, with even Hawkeye, who’s only one rank above him, this would probably be suicide. But Havoc’s not just a soldier, he’s also an oldest sibling. And he can see the things Ed’s hiding, and he knows from experience that as the oldest, Ed is going to run himself til he crashes.

So, Havoc swallows the potentially career-ending threats, gives Ed the same look he’s given his younger siblings a thousand times, and takes a shot: “You tellin’ me you aren’t going to take advantage of being in the office when the Colonel isn’t?”

Havoc hasn’t spent a lot of time around the Elrics, but it’s been enough to notice that the Colonel seems to bring out the immature teenager in Ed more than anyone or anything else. And alchemic genius or not, with Ed’s temper and general affect, there’s no way he wasn’t getting into trouble back home. Surely Ed will pick up on where Havoc is going.

Ed stares for a minute, which is setting off even more alarms for how well he’s taking care of himself, before the dots connect. An honestly slightly terrifying grin spreads across his face, “The office that’s normally locked?”

“The office that is normally locked for people who only use keys.”

“You are going to get shot,” Breda interjects, though his face doesn’t look totally disapproving.

Havoc waves a hand, “Nah, Hawkeye only cares if it disrupts work.” He crouches down next to Ed, turning both their faces towards Breda, “And we would never cause that kind of trouble.” He smiles as innocently as he can, glancing at Ed out of the corner of his eye. And holy crap, this kid could probably rob you blind with that smile if he wanted.

Breda turns back over to his desk, muttering about not leaving any evidence. Fuery is switching between working on his radio and glancing anxiously at the outer door. Falman has apparently deemed this unimportant and has returned to his work.

Havoc walks Ed over to the door and crouches by the lock, “So, ideas for getting in?”

Ed studies the lock, “Can’t just use alchemy. It leaves behind a trace, even if you do it near perfectly. Bastard’s sure to notice…”

Havoc nods; he hadn’t realized that. Probably not a bad thing to be able to keep an eye out for. “Lock-picking might turn out the same. Especially if we can’t lock it back.” He smiles at a memory, “Back home we used to just climb around through the window.”

--------------

Yeah, so, maybe he did let this go a little too far. I mean really, he should not have been surprised that the second he mentioned climbing out the window, Ed was already halfway outside. The kid was a pretty good climber though. Worked his way along the ledge, got through the window, and unlocked the door for Havoc. Using alchemy on the window lock was, according to Ed, not a concern since the Colonel wasn’t likely to check the window. Though Havoc got the feeling Ed was underestimating the Colonel's caution/paranoia.

Havoc didn’t really have a plan beyond getting Ed to take a break from running himself raged. Breda was absolutely right that if they did anything that interfered with work, Hawkeye would have their heads. Also Havoc understood how important the Colonel’s work was. He might enjoy goofing off when the chance arose, but he wasn’t about to screw his boss over.

Ed, however, did have a plan. Havoc wasn’t sure it was a great one. It amounted to the following:

Lower the Colonel’s chair and use alchemy to remove the adjusting handle

Use alchemy to make the desk about one inch taller

The end

The way Ed practically cackles while carrying out his plan is enough to make Havoc shrug and go along. It doesn’t really matter if he gets it. If the kid is happy, mission accomplished.

Having completed this, Ed sends Havoc back into the main room, locks the door, and returns through the window. Something that, again, seems not to bother him in the least.

“Had a lot of climbing practice?”

Ed hops down into the room, “Used to climb the trees back home to get apples after school. Mr. Whittier always noticed when the kids grabbed ‘em off the bottom branches, but if you took ‘em from the top it was harder to tell.”

Havoc drops onto the couch, “Pretty good. We used to sneak into the Haymores’ garden for blueberries. Trick with those is to take the ones on the bottom, makes it look like animals got in and ate some.”

Ed flops down next to him and sits quickly for a moment, before his eyes snap open, “Wait, what?”

“What, you thought I grew up in the city?” Havoc raises a hand to his chest, “I’m hurt, really.”

Breda snorts, “Surprised you couldn’t tell. First thing most people notice.”

Havoc shoots Breda a rude gesture, glancing back as the kid mutters, “Guess I just didn’t think about it.”

“Don’t sweat it,” he lightly punches Ed’s shoulder. “You hang around these city people enough, you notice it more.”

Ed huffs a small laugh, “Guess that’s part of why people react to me and Al the way they do.”

And man, this seems to be heading in a sad direction. Havoc glances at the clock. Should still be a few hours before the Colonel gets back. “So, what’s the thing that bugs you the most being in the city?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, there’s a lot that’s weird, but there’s gotta be one thing that just grates on you. My first week here, I couldn’t sleep because it was so quiet. Like, yeah, there’s machinery and stuff, but the air is just silent.” He gives a slightly exaggerated shiver, “Gives off a weird vibe.”

Ed nods slowly, and thankfully seems to actually be taking Havoc seriously “Uh… Oh! Nobody freaking knows anyone! Half the places we go, I ask for any information about people and get nothing! They don’t even know who runs the flippin’ hotel! Just point to where it is!”

“Ugh, I know! It’s so unhelpful. Like, you’d think they’d know at least somebody!”

-----------------

By the time the Colonel and Hawkeye get back, the drill has ended, Fuery is gathering his stuff to leave, Falman’s already left, and Havoc is finishing up his last few papers at his desk. Hawkeye raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything as she walks over to her own desk. He knows it’s getting late, but if the Colonel can pull long shifts, so can he.

The Colonel also doesn’t speak, but his questioning look as he stands at the desk is clear. Havoc nods, “Just finishing up. Breda’s down at the mess hall, should be back up in a minute.”

The Colonel nods as he starts towards his office, “Why’s he down there so late?”

When the Colonel looks back, Havoc nods towards the sofa. Ed’s red coat stands out in the fading light, outlining his small, sleeping form. Havoc’s surprised he’s still sleeping this heavily after a few hours. This confirms his earlier concerns that the kid hasn’t been sleeping enough.

The Colonel smiles, and Havoc wonders if Ed realizes that the Colonel looks out for him just as much as the rest of the team does. “Well, I’m sure some things piled up while I was out. We don’t need to clear the office just yet.”

Havoc nods as the Colonel turns to his office, before freezing. Keeping as straight a face as he can, he says, “Actually, you should probably wake him up for this. Came in to drop off a report. Probably won’t want to come back tomorrow.”

Breda walks in with an almost comical amount of food, and waking up Ed is no longer necessary. The kid has wolfed down almost half a plate before following the Colonel into the office, complaining around the food he’s still eating about having to wait around all day.

Havoc puts a finger to his lip and motions Breda over to the doorway. Hawkeye glances at them but doesn’t move from her desk.

There’s a few moments of silence, followed by Ed, clearly fighting to hold back a laugh, haughtily asking if the Colonel is having trouble seeing over his desk.

There’s a loud crash and a lot of shouting, but Havoc’s bent over trying to muffle his laughter. Breda is only slightly more successful. Hawkeye rolls her eyes, walks over, and closes the door. She mutters something about having enough children in this office as she returns to her desk. 

Havoc finally gets his breath again. He’ll have to keep a better eye out on the boys. This is the kind of thing a boy Ed’s age should be doing. And besides, Havoc’s missed having a little brother.

[rizaisthesuperstar]

The Worst Plan Ever ™

So, I feel bad about not having the next chapter of The Many Parents of Edward Elric (I am working on it, it’s just taking longer than I expected), so I thought it might be fun to share this FMA story I started writing for literally no reason except I am a sucker for parental Roy stories, and since the next chapter of MPEE will be Roy, hopefully this will somewhat hold you over. 

I have no plans about the overarcing “plot” of this story, but it is something I’d like to continue. So you might see it someday. Also, I really thought it was like, a three-page max Google Doc, and it’s like eight? So... kinda long, but I love it so... Enjoy!

The Worst Plan Ever ™

This was the dumbest of all possible things. If there was even the slightest way around this, Ed would not be here.

Literally anything.

Heck, he would drink a gallon of milk to-

Well, ok, maybe not a gallon… But he would drink some if it got him out of this.

But no, nothing, no matter how much he wanted, could get them out of this.

“So, this is the barracks. Of course, the only room we have to accommodate you is the double bunk-”

“That’ll be fine.”

Ed rolled his eyes, the same thoughts cycling through his head again. He ran back over every detail again. Surely there was something he missed, something that could work instead of this plan. Of course, it didn’t really matter if he came up with something else now. They had already started The Worst Plan Ever ™ and that wasn’t damage that could be undone without ruining any alternative plans in the process. 

“I can leave you for a few minutes to get settled, but we’ll need you for the meeting, sir.”

“Of course, let me get my son settled in, and I’ll be right down.” 

Ed held back a flinch as Mustang set his hand on Ed’s shoulder.

Screw it. He’d drink the gallon.

*two weeks earlier*

“Fullmetal. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Mustang leaned forward on the desk, eyes narrowed like he expected Ed to hand him a giant bill for damages.

Ed huffed and crossed his arms, only scooting into the room when Al nudged him from the doorway. “Look, I need some research, and they’re not giving me access.”

Mustang leaned back in his chair, “You’ll need to explain more. You should have access to all the materials in Eastern-”

“It’s not in Eastern.” Another nudge from Al. “It’s this small base in the East. They won’t let us past the gates.”

“Hmm, interesting. I assume this research is related to your personal interests?”

Ed gave a curt nod, “Figured you’d be able to pull some strings…” he trailed off.

Mustang smirked, “I might be able to do that. Still, I doubt they’ll let me take research off base-”

“No duh,” Ed scoffed under his breath.

Mustang raised an eyebrow, “What was that?”

Al let out a sigh, “It’s not files we need. They have someone in military custody who we think may have information about the philosopher’s stone.”

“Hmm,” Mustang cut his eyes to Ed, “that would  be nice to know.”

Ed rolled his eyes, “Look, can you get us in or not?”

“That depends. What base is it?”

“Casen.”

Mustang sat up a bit, “Well, that might be a bit difficult. We’ve had some issues with that base. Brass has been planning to send an investigation.”

“Why?” Al asked.

“There’s a state alchemist working at the base who’s last assessment was… interesting. He was kept on in hopes it might turn into something useful, but so far we haven’t received any reports on his progress. Considering the money they’re spending on his work, that’s a bit troubling.”

Ed rolled his eyes again, “yeah yeah, can you get us in or not?”

Mustang stood up from his desk and walked around to the front, “I might be able to, but we’ll have to approach things differently.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It means,” Mustang glared at Ed, “that you were likely denied access because you’re a state alchemist. If what’s going on there is what I think is going on, they’ll want to do everything they can to keep any alchemists out, especially state ones.”

Ed crossed his arms, “So how are you going to do any better than us?”

Mustang smirked, “Easy, I’ll have an official order to perform an inspection of the base.”

“Sorry, Colonel,” Al half raised his hand, almost like he wasn’t sure he was really a part of the conversation, “but if you can only get in with an order, how will that help us?”

Mustang smiled, “Well, that depends. Tell me, Fullmetal, who did you actually talk to at the base?”

Ed narrowed his eyes, “Just the guard at the gate. He wouldn’t let us see anyone else.”

“Good. In that case, we should be able to pull this off. There are a few things we’ll need to do…”

“Hold on!” Ed put his hands up, “you haven’t told me what your plan is yet!”

Mustang smirked, “While it’s not my first choice, there are some rumors floating that would allow me to show up with a kid in tow.”

A beat passed before exactly what Mustang was suggesting sunk in. 

“I’M NOT PLAYING YOUR KID, YOU BASTARD!”

Mustang shrugged, “It’s the best way to get you in. Like I said, if my suspicions are correct, they won’t want any alchemists on base. Even if I could get you on base, you’d never be able to investigate on your own. If, however, they think you’re just a military brat, you’ll have a better chance of seeing the man you’re looking for. That will mean changing some things. You can go by Ed but no last name, obviously.” Ed grunted. “Your watch stays behind. It would be best to hide the automail. It’s not unheard of for a child to have it,” Ed hissed, “but if they’re already suspicious, it’ll raise red flags. Also,” Mustang paused to look at Al, “it would be best for you to stay here Alphonse.”

“What?! I’m not leaving Al behind!”

“We’re already making a hard play trying to get one of you in, Fullmetal. Getting you both in is likely impossible, and between the two of you, you’ll be easier to pass off as young enough.”

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE WOULD BE MISTAKEN FOR A TODDLER!?!?!?!?”

“Also, you’ll have to refrain from any alchemy. Those are the terms. Agree to that, and I’ll do what I can to get you in.”

Ed narrowed his eyes, “What’s in it for you?”

Mustang smirked, “Like I said, we’ve been meaning to send an inspection to Casen. Having an undercover alchemist to help scope things out doesn’t seem like a bad idea.” Ed started to puff up his chest, “Too bad Alphonse is the tallest; I’m sure he’d be much more help on this mission.”

----------

The train ride was not the worst Ed had ever been on. The right was reserved for the train ride back to Resembool when Granny and Winry had been expecting them, and Ed had spent the whole ride with his automail arm rattling around in his suitcase. The dread of knowing that not only would he be dealing with Winry’s wrath but also that she would be there as soon as they got off the train had been about all he could stand. 

This one ranked pretty close.

Mustang had insisted on going over details about the mission. Which went blatantly against the system Ed had developed for traveling. Namely, sleep on the train, odds are you won’t sleep on the mission. Granted, Ed and Al probably did a lot more sneaking around at night than soldiers on official military business. But, as Ed argued, wasn’t his purpose on the mission to do just that, sneak around and get intel? What better time to do that than night?

Mustang had conceded to letting Ed nap for about half the trip, though Ed suspected that it was only because he’d spotted the cute train attendant. He’d woken Ed up and insisted that they go over mission details before arriving. Ed would have protested, but he’d still been half asleep and Mustang had already started talking.

Mustang went over the suspicious activities at the base, most of which Ed already knew from the first meeting. He had a pretty strong feeling that Mustang was holding back some of the details, which wasn’t unusual but still bugged him. After that, he’d wanted to review their cover. And of course he just had to start it with an insult.

“With your height, we should be able to pass you off as twelve-”

Ed, at that point awake enough to thoroughly object to any suggestions that he looked younger than fifteen, and exploded. Mustang, infuriatingly, had continued without notice.

“-though it would be best to avoid sharing that. It might seem odd to volunteer that information, and it’ll raise more suspicion if they find out about your automail.”

They went back and forth for a while, Mustang arguing that he wasn’t old enough to have a fifteen-year-old kid, but just old enough to possibly have a twelve-year-old. Ed argued that no one in their right mind would ever think of Mustang as “too young,” which had started another shouting match. That shifted to a harsh whisper fight after the aforementioned attendant asked them to be quiet.

Ed finally caved, only because, as Mustang pointed out, they would have his military record. It didn’t matter what people thought. Mustang’s age could be verified. Ed’s could not.

It was at this point they pulled into the station.

Ed felt strange walking into the base. He didn’t have his pocket watch, but he still had to fight the reflex to flash it to the gate. He was so used to constantly having to prove he belonged and had a right to be there. Mustang hurried them through the gate as this was their only weak spot. The hope was that, without the red coat and Al, the gate attendant wouldn’t remember Ed. And that was the other thing.

Ed missed Al.

The room he and Mustang would be staying in was tiny, smaller than the one he and Al sometimes used at Eastern. After Mustang left to meet with the head of the base, Ed decided to get a look around. The sooner he got what he needed, the sooner he could leave.

So of course he immediately ran into trouble.

“Hi sweetie. Are you lost?”

Ed fought every impulse he had to keep his cool. He wasn’t a military officer. He wasn’t an alchemist. He was just a military brat. He could do this.

He walked up to the desk. Think about it like a con. You’re fooling them. They’re the idiot, not you.

Ed smiled, “A little. My dad’s in a meeting, so I thought I’d go for a walk.” He gave a soft laugh, “I think I got a little turned around.” If he didn’t actually think about it being Mustang, it wasn’t too hard saying dad. Of course, that did bring up other memories…

“Oh, you’re Colonel Mustang’s son! Well, I know this might be different back home, but since you’re a visitor, you’ll need a badge to walk around the base.” Freaking fantastic. “How about we get one filled out for you?”

Oh. She was being helpful. Weird.

Ed gave a small shrug. It wasn’t that people were never helpful to him. Just that no one in the military was.

“Alright, I’ll just need a little bit of info from you. First name?”

“Edward.”

“Last name?”

S@$!

All that time spent on his fake age and they’d never got around to a fake last name! Mustang wasn’t married and everyone knew that. He couldn’t have the same last name, and he couldn’t say Elric.

Panicked that she would get suspicious if he took too long, he blurted out, “Rockbell!” and immediately felt his face get warm.

He could feel the look Al would give him for that. He’d never have let Ed live it down. Good thing he wasn’t here-

Mustang. Mustang would know. Oh crap. Ed would take teasing from Al over teasing from Mustang any day. 

“Alright, and how old are you?”

Ed grit his teeth. “Twelve,” he ground out. He was hoping she would object, exclaim that she never would have guessed he was so young.

“Alright,” so much for that, “that should be it for now. Here’s a badge for you. Just wear that and it’ll let the soldiers know that you’re allowed on base.”

“Thanks,” Ed roughly clipped the badge to his jacket and spun around, intent on finding somewhere, anywhere, else to be, before realising he did not, in fact, know where anything was.

“Mess hall?”

----------

Oh they were definitely hiding something. Mustang had done enough inspections to know when he was being buttered up. He could also tell when he was being rushed. 

It was honestly pretty impressive, how they managed to both butter him up and try to make him uncomfortable enough that he wouldn’t want to stay. Really, he had to give them props for that.

They had, as he’d hoped, taken the fact that he’d brought his “son” along as a sign that Mustang was just trying to get this over with, that he hadn’t been given much of a heads up on this assignment. 

Having Fullmetal along was already turning out very beneficial.

The one major drawback being the interest a few soldiers had taken in him. He knew there were rumors, it was part of why they were able to sell this. He was pretty sure Ed didn’t actually know the full extent of the rumors. The kid probably thought that as soon as the mission was over, and he blew his cover as Mustang was sure he would, things would go back to normal. Mustang knew better. It wouldn’t matter that the story was a cover. He knew it would be enough to make people start reconsidering and wondering if there wasn’t some truth to the whole thing.

So far Mustang’s assumption that even the soldiers who were aware of the existence of The Fullmetal Alchemist wouldn’t know enough to connect the dots was correct. Ed was always complaining that people mistook Al for him. And without the signature--read: hideous--red coat, and if the kid could actually keep his automail under wraps, no one would ever think anything of the kid.

For the size of the base, the longest it would be reasonable for the inspection to take would only be a few days, three at the most. That would be even more difficult with the way they were trying to rush him along. On his own, Mustang figured he’d need more like a week to determine what was actually going on without tipping anyone off. That would be where Ed would come in. The kid was naturally curious and had a habit for getting himself caught up in big messes. Hopefully he would stumble across something that would be enough for Mustang to get the evidence he needed to shut down whatever was going on.

“And here’s the mess hall. Oh, and it looks like your son’s already here.”

Mustang immediately spotted Ed crammed over in the corner, scarfing down a ridiculous amount of food considering how much he’d eaten on the train. General Fisk was already making his way over, so Mustang followed. He had to give the kid props. While Ed never mingled with the soldiers at Eastern, he also didn’t shy away from them. He seemed to take his seat as a statement, that he was on equal footing with the other soldiers. Of course, a military brat wouldn’t have the same outlook. 

The General, a bit to Mustang’s surprise, walked up to greet Ed. And considering how surprised the kid looked, Mustang was honestly grateful that he didn’t follow protocol like saluting superior officers.

“Ed, this is General Fisk. He’s the head of this base. General, this is my son, Edward.”

The General gave a small nod, and actually reached out to shake Ed’s hand-

Crap!

Ed, who was apparently a bit more prepared than Mustang had given him credit for, had quickly lifted his sandwich to mouth as Mustang had introduced him, and effectively covered his hand in mustard. With an apologetic shrug, he reached out his left hand instead. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Well, talking with his mouth full or not, at least he’d remembered to say “sir”.

“Nice to meet you, Edward…” the General leaned over a bit, and Mustang realized Ed was wearing some kind of name badge, “Rockbell.”

Mustang only just held back a smirk as Ed’s eyes frantically darted over to him.

“Well, hopefully we can get this inspection taken care of quickly and get you two on your way.”

Roy sat down across from Ed as the General walked away.

“So, Rockbell, huh?”

“Shut up!”

[rizaisthesuperstar]

The Many Parents of Edward Elric (Part Two)

Alright! Part Two! Same as last time. Takes place in the Brotherhood/ Manga universe. Focuses on Ed’s relationship with the different people throughout his life who have filled some kind of parental role. This time, we’re looking Sig Curtis!

Also, I have published this and the first chapter to AO3, so check it out there if you want!

AO3  Parts1 3 4 5

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Two weeks. He’s honestly surprised they're here at all. The fact that Izumi had stayed for two days in the hospital following the Promised Day, allowing tests to be run and treatments to be given, was surprising enough. Not that she hadn’t protested somewhat. And as much as he had been worried about her, he was willing to admit she had a fair point that other people had needed treatment more than she did. It was much the same argument Edward had made, though it was clear that his arm needed more attention than he was letting on. Sig had a suspicion that that had played a part in Izumi’s willingness to stay in the hospital for so long.

The kid’s surgery had been slotted in only a day after as the doctors were worried about potential infection if they let the metal pieces stay in his shoulder for much longer. Getting Izumi to come back to Central for a checkup was hard enough, but that day with Edward…

Speaking of which.

Sig looks up from the newspaper he’d been glancing over. He hasn’t really been reading it, but he needed something to occupy himself while Izumi is getting her checkup. Any attempts at reading however are interrupted at the shouting echoing down the hall.

“Sir, we need you to calm down-”

“I AM CALM!! YOU PEOPLE ARE THE ONES WHO NEED TO CALM DOWN!!”

Sig lets out a soft sigh, though as he sets aside the paper and walks down the hall, he feels more a sense of fondness than annoyance.

Despite several doors being open now, their occupants peering out cautiously at the commotion, caution that would indicate a familiarity with this sort of outburst, Sig has no trouble locating the room. It appears the boys haven’t been moved.

“WHAT KIND OF HOSPITAL IS THIS?!?! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET HIM KILLED?!?!”

“Brother!”

“Sir really, I must-”

The shouting comes to an abrupt halt as Sig steps into the doorway. He first looks over to the bed, feeling a bit of relief in his chest as he looks over Alphonse. The boy is sitting up, something that had been very taxing on him those first few days. Though he still looks sickly thin and pale, there is a bit more softness to his checks. His hair is still long and scraggly, though it’s combed and pulled back. And while he does smile at Sig, the annoyance is clear on his face, which Sig takes as a good sign. It takes a lot of energy to argue with Edward. If Alphonse is feeling up to that, it shows he’s feeling better.

At that, he looks over to Edward. His mouth is open, clearly ready to continue his tirade, his right fist raised dramatically in the air. He needs to head this off quickly.

“Sir, you can’t-” the nurse, apparently recovered from a strange man barging into the room, attempts to protest.

Ignoring her, Sig enters the room, grabs Edward around the middle, easily tucking him under his arm as he turns to leave, and gives a curt nod to the nurse as he does.

“Hey!” Edward struggles, but extra height or not, the kid is still easy to carry.

“We’ll be back,” Sig says firmly, directing the statement more at Edward than the other occupants.

“Uh- I- wait, sir!”

Sig shuts the door gently behind him and turns down the hallway. He seems to remember a door to the roof at the end of this floor.

Edward, reasonably accepting of his fate, mutters to himself as they go along.

Once they’re on the roof, Sig sets Edward down, taking a moment to really look him over. His right arm, while still clearly smaller than his other, looks better than it had. It isn’t quite as pale and seems to be gaining muscle. The kid’s probably taking every opportunity he has to work out. The bandages around his shoulder are gone, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s completely healed from the surgery. He’s as bad as Izumi at taking the necessary time to recover.

After a moment of Edward rubbing his shoulder, looking around at anything other than Sig and not saying anything, Sig crosses his arms and gives him a look. “Are you going to explain that?”

Edward lets out a huff and crosses his own arms, “I don’t have to explain it.”

Sig stands still a moment, staring back at Edward. It’s almost imperceptible, but he sees the boy’s resolve start to crack. He walks past Edward over to the wall surrounding the roof and sits down.

Edward’s shoulders droop as he follows Sig over and plops down beside him. He waits a moment, knowing the kid won’t be able to keep quiet for long.

“They want Al to start walking.”

Sig nods.

“They want him to start tomorrow.”

He nods again.

“But they’re making me do testing tomorrow to make sure my arm is fine, which it is!”

Ah, there it is.

“You know, they won’t leave Al to do this on his own.”

“But what if something goes wrong?! He was in the portal for five years! And after just two weeks they want him to start walking again?! He’s only just started eating solid foods, and they haven’t even taken him off the breathing tubes yet!”

Sig looks at Edward. It’s hard to tell if you don’t know him; he just seems angry. But Sig can see the genuine fear in his eyes.

He sets a hand on Edward’s shoulder, “Listen, I know you just want him safe, but you can’t spend your whole life hovering over him. Al is going to need his independence.”

“I know but-”

“Right after... when Izumi was in the hospital-” Edward freezes, mouth snapping shut- “I was so worried I would lose her. We had already lost so much. I didn’t think I could handle losing her too. The doctors tried, but there wasn’t much they could do for her.”

Sig takes a deep breath; he hates remembering those days, those nights, spent beside her bed, the fear of waking up to find her gone keeping him awake. “But as soon as they told us that, she insisted on coming home. She barely spent a week in bed before she was trying to work down in the shop again.”

He glances down at Edward. A small, slightly sad smile spreads across the boy’s face. Good, he’s calming down. “I wanted her to rest, to let me handle everything, but she wouldn’t let me. She needed to try and get back to how things were.

“Even now, I still worry about her.” He looks down, clenching his fist, “And then, that day, watching her be pulled away from me, not knowing where she was or if she was even alive…” He looks up at Edward again and gives his shoulder a small squeeze, “It felt like going through that again. I can hardly stand to let her out of my sight.”

Edward’s eyebrows lift, “But, she’s… I mean…”

Sig nods, “She can handle herself. I help her when I can, but I also trust her to take care of some things on her own.”

Edward lets his head drop, “I just... I don’t want to lose him again.”

Sig slides his hand over to Edward’s other shoulder and pulls him into a hug, “He doesn’t want to lose you either, but if he doesn’t get to experience things on his own, then what was this really worth?”

Edward nods as he buries his head in Sig’s chest, and Sig places his hand on the boy’s head. They sit there for a minute before Sig stands up, lifting Edward up to his feet as well.

Edward takes a deep breath, gives Sig a determined nod, and marches through the door.

Sig looks after the kid, feeling that soft fondness again. Learning to let Izumi go and trusting she would bring herself back home in one piece had been hard, especially this second time. But that hasn’t been the only time he’s had to learn to let someone go.

He remembers the first night after the boys came back, after they’d told them everything. He’d found Izumi sitting up in the garden late that night. They’d sat together, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing, wondering if they could have prevented this. If there was anything they could have done to stop them. What if something terrible happened again? If they’d already fallen into something that bad at such a young age, weren’t they likely to end up somewhere even worse?

Izumi had handled the letting them go part by forcing them out. While he knew it was important for the boys to know they wouldn’t be hovered over, they couldn’t very well come back if they didn’t understand it was an option. And sure enough, they’d come right back. Later, Edward had even called to ask for their help. And now, Edward was listening to him as he learned the same lesson.

Looking back on the little pipsqueak who had come to stay with them so many years ago, Sig feels proud to see how much Edward has grown, and he’s more than happy that he’s been allowed to play some small part in that growth.