The first time they had talked about it, Ed was the one who broached the subject.
Outside, the rain drizzled on in an endless Spring rain spell. It was a quiet day, filled with lazy cuddling and lovemaking and warmth in their shared bed. For now, the two were content sitting next to each other, naked in bed, reading their respective books. Sometimes between pages, they let their hands intertwine on top of the covers.
They had been married for a few years now, Ed being 27 and Roy being 40. Ed cherished each morning that he woke up to sleepy raven eyes and a smile. He cherished each bickering session, cherished each cup of coffee, each book, each tired yawn and 'Ready for bed, dear?', cherished each meal, cherished each tender kiss. Hell, he even cherished the times Roy would fart too loud in his sleep, wake himself up, and blame it on him. Ed loved every single thing about Roy and about their relationship. He knew that their love was strong enough for anything, and now he feels he's ready to take the next step.
"I want to talk to you about something I've been thinking about."
Roy lifts his head from his book, adjusting his reading glasses. "Is this just light musing, or should I put my book down?"
"I would say it's a 'book down' kind of deal."
"Alright then," he says, putting both glasses and book on the night stand to his left. "What's on your mind?"
"I've been thinking about my fa- Hohenheim lately," Ed admits, playing with his fabric of the covers at his hips, not bothering to look at Roy.
"In what way? I know he's passed, but that was a while ago now."
"I know, I know. I'm not mourning him. Actually, quite the opposite. I'm thinking how shitty he was at being a dad. I know he had his reasons, but reasons don't mean shit when you're a scared little kid without any parents."
Roy nods, knowing the feeling all too well. His own parents had died when he was very young. "It's not fair that you and Al grew up without a father. It's not fair when anyone has to grow up without a parent."
Ed nods his head, finally looking up at Roy. "Which is what I've been thinking about. I know Hohenheim was a shitty excuse for a father but… I don't think I'm like him, at least not in that regard."
Looking at how full of hope Ed's eyes are, Roy thinks his heart is about to melt. "Keep going. Tell me what you want."
And Ed smiles. "I want to be a dad, Roy. We already are a family, the two of us. And I love us and the home we've made with each other. But we have more love to give than what we can handle on our own. I remember talking to Al and Winry last year when they had Andy. The light in their eyes, Roy, I couldn't explain it in words."
"I remember." And it's the same light I see in yours now.
"I know I would be a good dad. I'd be fucking great at it! Don't you think?"
He shrugs. "I mean, our child would probably have a horrible potty mouth, but I think you'd do okay."
"Oh shut up, a little cursing never hurt anyone." Ed fidgeted, leaning back on his pillow to stare at his husband. "Say 'our child' again."
Looking off into his minds eye, he tries to envision what that phrase would mean to him. "Our child," he mutters. He has trouble finding the image. Then, he meets Ed's gaze and repeats, almost a whisper, "Our child."
When he sees Ed bite his lip in suppression of a smile, he can feel his insides sing. Edward's heart is bigger than his stature allows. He's seen the way he is with his nephew, and he knows that any child of Ed's would be the most loved child on this planet. He would teach them the important things in life. He would be there for them growing up, making up for the mistakes of his own father. Family is Ed's first priority in life, and Roy wonders how long he's been thinking about this.
But how do I feel about being a father?
Ed can tell by a sudden flicker of his eyes that Roy seems a bit uncomfortable. "I'm not asking for an answer right now, Roy. I want us to think about this for a while and come to a decision only after we've thought about all of the consequences. If I'm going to be a dad, I need to make sure that the kid has the best possible shot at life. That can't happen if we act on anything too quickly. This is a huge deal, and whatever we do decide needs to be mutual. I just wanted to start talking about it, is all."
Roy feels relieved. Of course he's on board with the idea of having a family with Ed, but he needs a little more time to think about what that involves. Will we adopt? Will we get a surrogate? Boy or girl? Does it really matter? Being the Fuhrer, I'll have to make sure to budget my time to make sure that I'm available as much as possible for them. Elicia would be a great babysitter for us. Oh Hughes, you must be laughing at me from wherever you are. I'm married and considering having a kid, are you happy?
"Ed, I can't give you a definite answer to anything right now, but I want to let you know that the idea is really growing on me. I don't think it's a question of 'if', but more 'when' and 'how'. I just need to get used to the thought of it, I think. Is that good for you, right now?"
When he looks over to his husband, he sees that his eyes are full of need. "You're fucking amazing, you know that?" And suddenly Ed's in his favorite place: Roy's lap. "You'd be a hot dad. A definite DILF."
"Please, you'd be the hot dad. I'd be the boring, old dad," Roy says, reaching up and threading his fingers through Ed's hair.
"You got the 'old' part down, that's for sure," he replies, leaning in to kiss that damn smirk off his husband's face.
Two years later, a black-haired baby girl crawls around her play space in Roy's office. Both their home and workplaces have become littered with toys and all things baby. It is a war zone of plastic teething rings, diapers, stuffed animals, and tiny clothes. Being the tactical masters that they are, Roy and Ed have discovered the perfect routine to stay on top of parenting their little Grace. Every other day, Grace would keep Roy company in his office. Ed had carefully arranged his teaching schedule at Central University so that he could stay home whenever it was his day with Grace; if for some reason a class had to be rescheduled, he would teach the class with Grace in her portable play-pen or strapped to his front. In the mornings, nights, and weekends, it was a group effort to keep the insatiable nine-month-old happy.
Right as Roy finishes signing his last document, he strolls over to his favorite girl and lifts her high into the air. "Papa is almost done with work today. I just have one meeting, and then I'm all yours. You need to be on your best behavior for the Generals today, okay miss?"
Grace just giggles and pulls his hair, hitting him in the face in the process.
"I will take what I can get."
Roy has quite taken to bringing her along to his meetings. There's something about having a baby in the room that makes the Generals rethink their more volatile war ideas, which Roy is thankful for. He would deny ever using his own child for diplomatic purposes, but he is pretty sure Amestris owes its peace treaty with Drachma to an infant. At less than a year old, she is already able to charm a room full of the toughest men in the military; it takes all of his strength not to gush about how proud he is of her for following in his footsteps. Although he hasn't quite attained a Maes Hughes level of showing off his daughter, Roy was committed to spending as much time with his her as possible, regardless of the demands of his job. Anyone who had a problem with him toting his kid around Central Command certainly did not voice it. And if they did, they would have to answer to his glove.
Ed comes home late to find Roy cooking noodles and singing a goofy song to Grace, who is laughing in her high chair. Roy looks as exhausted as Ed feels, but walking in on this moment between them warms his soul and makes him forget the stress of grading his students' midterms.
He couldn't have imagined that after fighting for so long that he would ever achieve something as great as this. When he was a kid, all he wanted was to see his mother smile. Then, he wanted the same from his brother. Now, he finally has the smiling, happy family he's been searching for since he was five. This was it. This messy balance of work and love and family and life was working for them, and they were happy.