It was approximately 2:45 in the morning when Roy Mustang woke with the feeling that something in the house was amiss. He allowed himself a few moments to get his bearings, staring at the ceiling in confusion, wondering what had woken him. This early in the morning, every sound seemed amplified, and he felt certain that he would hear something at any moment. And yet, Roy could not tell what was wrong.
He got out of bed slowly, reaching for his gloves on the bedside table. If there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was that instincts were rarely wrong, and if his instincts were telling him that something was off, then something was off.
He winced, slightly, as his door creaked as he opened it, hoping that if someone had snuck into the house, they wouldn't hear. Thanking the northern weather for being cold enough to convince him to wear socks to bed, he padded down the hallway almost completely silently.
Not wanting to disturb anyone, he tiptoed past Edward's door, moving towards the end of the hallway. The boy had insisted on being situated in the room between Roy and Riza's, claiming that "if you two get any ideas about midnight visits, I'm going to want to know about it." Roy highly doubted that the boy would really notice if Lieutenant Hawkeye did decide to pay him a late-night visit, seeing as the boy slept like a rock, but the likelihood of that happening anyway was low. They were on a mission, after all, and even if they were posing as a family, it didn't mean that they had to act like one while away from prying eyes.
As he reached Riza's room, her door swung open and she emerged wielding a gun. They made brief eye contact and she nodded at him, signaling that she had been disturbed as well. They proceeded together into the kitchen, the Lieutenant keeping her gun temporarily pointed at the ceiling as they scanned the small apartment. However, nothing seemed amiss. Nothing was moved from the night before, and the locks on the doors and windows seemed secure.
"Ed," Riza whispered to him briefly, already moving back towards the hallway.
Of course. Why hadn't he checked Ed's room first? If someone had hurt him…Roy didn't quite finish the thought. He hoped that it wouldn't come to that.
They stood on either side of Ed's door, Roy resting his hand gently on the doorknob. After a brief count, he threw the door open and they barged in, Riza's gun at the ready and Roy's fingers primed for snapping.
However, there was nothing there. Nothing threatening, at least. Ed slept semi-peacefully in front of them, mostly silent but occasionally letting out a whisper of sound, his eyes darting back and forth under his eyelids in the tell-tale signs of a dream. Hawkeye dropped her gun to her side.
"That woke us?" she asked, not without disbelief.
Roy shrugged, moving towards the bed. "I think Hughes would call it parental instincts," he said with a little amusement, then shook Ed's shoulder lightly. "Come on, kid, it's just a dream."
Ed scrunched his eyes up tighter, curling around himself and letting out a small moan of displeasure. Roy frowned, seating himself next to his dreaming subordinate. He shook his shoulder again, this time eliciting a louder whimper. Instead of waking up, Ed seemed to be pulled farther and farther into whatever nightmare he had been experiencing.
"Fullmetal, wake up," Roy commanded, abandoning the whispering tone he had been using and shoving the boy's shoulder with a little force.
Ed shot up in bed, letting out a very loud and very sudden scream. Roy had the misfortune to be in the boy's way and found himself with an armful of terrified child. Ed clung to the front of his commanding officer's nightshirt, weeping profusely. Only a few seconds later, though, he wilted into Roy's hold, once again fast asleep.
Hawkeye came up around the other side of the bed, looking at them with curiosity and a little alarm.
"Did he fall back asleep already?" she asked.
"I don't think he ever fully woke up," the Colonel replied, allowing the boy a few more moments to calm down in his arms before moving to lay him back in the bed.
Edward wouldn't let go of his shirt.
Riza laughed softly at them as Ed pulled his arms closer to his body, effectively causing the Colonel to sprawl all over the bed. She walked to the bedside table and fiddled with the alarm clock, turning off the alarm that was due in a few hours. She slipped under the covers on the other side of Ed, grinning at them both.
"I'm thinking no school tomorrow," she said briefly.
Roy stared at her for a moment before letting out a short laugh of his own. He slid himself under the covers as well, allowing Ed to curl up in his arms. Riza moved closer to them both, draping an arm over Ed and touching her forehead briefly against Roy's. They both looked down at the boy, who was now sleeping peacefully, even wearing a small smile on his normally troubled face.
"He's going to be angry in the morning," Roy warned her.
"Maybe. But for now we should let him sleep. He deserves that, at least."
The unlikely little family settled down and soon drifted off into a soft and dreamless sleep.
And if Edward Elric woke late the next morning to find himself enveloped in the arms of two sleeping military officers who cared for him more than they would ever admit, then who was to judge him for allowing himself to drift off once again.