Okay, so after reading so many parental Roy/Ed stories, I decided I'd try to make one myself. I really like the idea of Mustang comforting Ed after a nightmare, so that's what I wrote. Enjoy!
To say Roy Mustang was in a good mood was far from the truth.
He'd stayed up almost all night trying to finish some long due paper work, trying to avoid a bullet in his head the next day from 1st lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Of course, he'd fallen asleep part of the way through, and had to scramble to get it finished before he had to come into work. On the way to work, he'd had to wait for almost an hour while some people tried to get a broken carriage out of the road, and when he had finally gotten to the office, he'd walked in only to come face to face with a gun, the person on the other end, of course, Hawkeye herself. After some explaining as to why he was late, he made it into his office safely, only to be met with another huge pile of paperwork. Knowing full well what would happen if he didn't finish it by the end of the day, he began to work on it.
When his lunch break finally came around, he was annoyed and tired. It didn't help that Havoc had come in earlier to remind him that Edward would be coming in later that day to give a report about his latest mission. He'd sighed, and rubbed his head, knowing full well that a headache was soon to come. He'd basically ran out of the office to the mess hall, his stomach grumbling loudly. Because of all the paperwork, he'd been unable to eat breakfast, and was famished.
So, you could say Roy Mustang was in a pretty foul mood that day.
When he came back to the office, he was expecting another pile of paperwork on his desk, not what was actually there. Opening the door, he saw the familiar red coat belonging to the one person who could always manage to annoy him, no matter what his mood.
He furrowed his brow in confusion, he wasn't supposed to be here until later that day. "Fullmetal, what are you doing here so early?" he asked, walking into the room. He stopped though, at the sight that met him.
There, lying on one of his plush couches, was Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, fast asleep. His hand had pushed his shirt up, leaving his stomach exposed, his breathing slow and steady.
Roy studied him for a moment. He'd never seen the kid look so much like, well, a kid. While asleep, he looked like any other normal, fifteen year old boy. He sighed, and sat down at his desk, deciding to let the boy sleep. If he had actually allowed himself to fall asleep in his superiors office, then he must have been exhausted. Well, at least he could postpone the screaming and insults for a while.
He began to work on his new pile of paperwork, grumbling to himself. After a while, he was roused out of his concentration - if you could even call it that - by the sound of Edward shifting in his sleep. Roy looked over at the young boy, noticing the now distressed look on his face. He was squirming around, as if he was having a bad dream.
Roy sighed, and decided to let him be. He began to work on his paperwork again when the teenager began to make noises.
He looked up, to see Ed talking in his sleep. "No... please. I'm sorry. Please, I'm sorry!" he mumbled
Mustang stood up, and walked over to the distresses boy. He put a hand on his shoulder, and began to shake him gently. "No! Please, don't... I never wanted this! Mom! Al! No!"
By that time, Edward had tears streaming down his face. Mustang didn't know what to do.
"No..."
After that, Ed finally grew still. Roy sighed. Whatever the boy was dreaming about, it must be over. He remembered the words he was muttering.
Mom. Al. No.
He must have been dreaming about the night he and Al had tried to bring back their mother. Mustang cast Ed a sympathetic look, and was about to walk back to his desk, when the boy started mumbling again. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you. I'm sorry."
He turned back to the boy, and began shaking him again. "Come on Fullmetal, wake up. It's just a dream." he said
"It's all my fault... It's all my fault..."
Mustang felt something inside him break. He had known the kid held some guilt, but he didn't know he blamed himself for everything. "Come on Ed, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known what would happen, don't blame yourself." he whispered
The boy didn't stop though. "It's... it's all my... all my fault... NO!"
Mustang jumped back when Ed screamed. He bolted up, eyes opening wide, full of panic. He still had tears streaming down his cheeks.
After a moment of hesitation, Mustang reached out to him. "Ed?" he asked quietly, placing his hand on his shoulder
Ed jumped, and quickly jerked his head to face Roy. "M-Mustang?" he asked quietly, voice trembling
"Yeah kid. It's all right, it was just a dream." he answered
Ed nodded, and wiped away the tears. By the way his lip was trembling though, Roy could tell he was still upset. "You know, it's okay to cry Ed." he said quietly
Finally, Ed couldn't hold back anymore. A single tear managed to leak out from his eye, and he wasn't able to hold it all in anymore. He slumped, and began to cry into his hands, the sobs coming from the small boy making Roy's heart break.
He didn't know what to do. Should he just sit there, or should he comfort the boy? Roy sighed, and decided to do what he'd seen Hughes do with Elycia. After a moments hesitation, he reached out and pulled the trembling boy into a hug. He felt him stiffen, not used to any kind of physical contact. "It's okay Ed." he whispered "Just let it out."
Ed relaxed, and began to cry again, the tears flowing out like a river. Roy just held him tighter, whispering comforting words. He felt completely awkward, and he knew if he was in his right mind, Ed would never let him comfort him like this. But for now, the boy just needed someone to hold him, and tell him it was alright. He just happened to be there when the moment came, that's the only reason why he was doing this.
Or at least, that's what he told himself. But deep inside, he knew he cared for the boy a whole lot. Heck, he was pretty sure he thought of him as a son every once in a while.
Once Ed began to calm down, Roy decided to ask him about his dream. "Want to talk about it?" he asked
Ed hesitated for a moment, before deciding that, just this once, he would talk about his problems. "I... it was about when Al and I tried to bring out mom back."
Mustang nodded, he could understand that. "Go one." he urged
Ed took a deep breath before continuing. "After I turned her into that... that thing, she started talking. She kept saying how it was all my fault. I ripped her out of her peace, and killed her again." he had to stop as another sob shook his body.
Mustang held him tighter, hand rubbing comforting circles on his back. "Th-then mom's face turned into A-Al's, and he began saying that it was all my fault, that he couldn't eat, or sleep or feel. He... he said he h-hated me..."
Ed began to cry harder, burying his face into the man before him.
"Shh... it's okay Ed. It's just a dream. It wasn't your fault, there was no way you could have known what would have happened. And you know Al could never hate you. He doesn't care about what body he's in, just as long as he's alive and with you."
"But it is my fault!" Ed wailed, pulling away to look Mustang in the eyes. "He didn't want to do it! He didn't want to bring mom back! But... I forced him into it. I made him do something he didn't want to do..."
Mustang sighed. "You know Al doesn't blame you for that, Ed. He loves you and you know it. Now, was there anything else that happened?" he asked
Ed nodded, and took another breath, burying his head in the man's shoulder once again. "After that, Al turned into N-Nina, and she... she was c-crying. After a while, she began shifting into the chimera her father made her i-into... 'Why does it hurt?' she asked 'Why couldn't you save me?' T-then, she turned into H=Hughes, and he... he started talking. Saying it was my fault that he couldn't see his wife and daughter anymore, and t-that I should've been the one killed, n-not him..."
Ed began to sob once again, clutching Mustang's jacket in his fist. "And... and then, Hughes turned into y-you, and you were k-killed right in front of me." A heart wrenching cry escaped his mouth, and he began to cry harder, clutching on to Mustang for dear life. "O-one by one, e-everyone I love was killed. You, and Al and Hawkeye. Everyone! And I couldn't do anything but sit there a-and watch..."
Mustang felt his heart break once again. He knew what it was like to have dreams like that. "It's okay Ed, it was just a dream. Everyone's here, everyone's okay. Everything's okay." he began rubbing the boy's back again, pulling him closer still. "It's okay Ed, it's alright."
Ed just continued to cry, clinging on even tighter to his superior officer. No, not at the moment. Right then, they were friends, equals. Maybe even father and son.
After a while, Ed calmed down, a few hiccupping every few seconds. He didn't let go though, and neither did Roy. Ed began to feel his cheeks redden from embarrassment. He'd cried in front of Mustang, and admitted his greatest weakness and fear. Somehow he new though, that the man wouldn't tease him for this. Something about the way he reacted just made it seem that way.
In order to hide his burning face, he buried his face in the man's shoulder once again, noticing how damp the clothing was. "Sorry." he mumbled "I got your shirt wet."
Mustang chuckled. "It's okay Ed." he answered
The boy nodded, and leaned back again to look Mustang in the eye. He couldn't seem to meet them though, and dropped his gaze to the floor. "Thanks..." he whispered, feeling his cheeks redden further.
"Don't worry about it Ed, you needed someone to comfort you, and I was here."
Ed nodded, but he knew there was a deeper meaning to that. He knew Mustang was glad he had opened up. Somehow, they seemed closer now. There was more equality in their relationship. He closed his eyes, and leaned his head on the Colonel's shoulder. He could feel sleep coming to claim him, and he had no strength left to fight it off. "I think I'm gonna fall asleep..." he whispered
Mustang chuckled again, but stayed silent. Ed had already fallen asleep. As he sat there, leaning against the couch, he could feel the first touch of sleep creeping up on him. He didn't feel like fighting it, so he let it consume him, falling asleep with the boy still in his arms.
A little while later, and no screaming, a worried Hawkeye walked through the door to Mustang's office, afraid that they had killed each other or something.
She smiled at what she saw. Mustang was sitting with his back against the couch, with Ed curled up in his lap. As she walked closer to them, she saw the tear stains lining his cheeks, and knew something had happened. Realizing Roy must have been comforting the boy - and must have been exhausted afterwards - she decided to let it slide that he was sleeping on the job. "Just this once." she whispered
Or so she told herself.
Okay, so how was it? Good? Bad? Sorry if they were too OOC.
Please review and tell me what you think.
