A/N: Possibly just a oneshot, but I may choose to include a couple more extracts of the kids' various exploits together over the next few years... culminating in a rather interesting event that Edward in particular isn't too happy with :P
Note on the names: I finally understand why JK Rowling gave so many of her characters hand-me-down names. It makes more sense than random ones! Obviously, Maes is not random, but most of the others kind of are... Sarisa is part Trisha, part Sara, but still wholly hers. Her brother's, on the other hand, is completely random. For some reason, I kept wanting him to be another Ed, which is weird for me because I don't like parents giving children their own names. Still, it's quite close I guess.
A Home for the Holidays
Roy Mustang stepped into the Fuhrer's official residence for the first time as Fuhrer himself and looked around him smugly.
"This is nice. This is very nice! Bit on the gaudy side, perhaps, but befitting a man of my stature." The dog bounded through the open door after him and stopped at his feet, wagging his tail enthusiastically. "What do you think, Black Hayate?"
Riza came through the door, sighing to herself, with a small child in one hand and a baby in the other. "I like how you ask your dog before you ask your wife."
"That's because I rely on you for much more important things, dear!" he bounded towards her and planted a quick kiss on her lips. Riza tried to pretend she was annoyed with him, but failed miserably.
"Here, take your daughter. I've got to fetch some things from the car. Maes? Watch your father for me."
"Yes, ma'am!" The adorable three-year old gave a little salute, and followed Roy over to the sofa in parlour where he sat down and cradled his baby in his arms with that ridiculous smile he always got whenever he looked at her for too long. His heart swelled with pride whenever he looked at either of his children, but there was something different about holding his daughter, admiring her soft tufts of golden hair and imagining the beautiful, strong woman she was going to become. Daddy's little girl from the moment was was born. She looked up at him with her big dark eyes and extended a little hand towards his hovering finger, grasping it tightly and waving it about. She was remarkably strong for one so small.
Maes tugged at his sleeve. "Daddy?"
"Yes, son?"
"When will Rosa be old enough to play with me?"
Roy smiled, and freed a hand to rub his son's cheek. "If she's anything like your mother, it won't be long I'm sure. She'll know how to how a gun before she walks."
"That sounds dangerous."
"That's your mother."
Riza came back in with two soldiers laden with boxes of their personal effects. "Roy, you going to give them a hand?"
"B-but I'm Fuhrer now!"
"Roy..."
"B-but I'm holding the baby and she's just so cute..."
"She'll still be cute when you get back. Go help! We wouldn't want you getting inflated and out of shape."
"Oh, all right. Spoilsport." He got up and shifted the sleeping baby into a comfortable position on the seat. "Remind me again why I married my personal assistant?"
"Because you knew you'd get things done that way."
"I'm quite sure that wasn't the only reason," he smirked, patting her bottom as he moved towards the car. Riza could hear him whipping out a photo of the kids before he'd even reached the other men. Sighed. If only Hughes could see him now...
Later that night after the kids were in bed, King and Queen sat in the parlour experiencing a pleasantly quiet evening. Riza was sprawled across a chaise engrossed in a book, while Roy kept getting up and down all the time, crossing to the fireplace and poking the fire with a stick for no other reason than it made him feel manly.
"...It's awfully quiet upstairs."
"It's a big house, Roy."
"What if they need us, or something happens, and we can't hear them?"
"It's all right, I've secretly trained Maes in the ways of the firearm."
"Riza!"
"I believe I just made a joke, Roy. Sit down, and stop worrying. There are guards posted at the door; they'll be fine."
"But, who are these guards, exactly? Do they have any childcare qualifications? Are they parents? What if they're just some-"
"Roy, they'll be fine. Now... shall we adjourn to the Royal Bedchamber?" There was a fiery glint in Riza's eyes that didn't come from the firelight.
"Hmm, well," Roy smirked. "If you're feeling tired."
"I don't know, I could probably go for some... light exercise, before bed."
"Imagine that. Me too."
Roy pulled his arm around her waist and swept her up into his arms. "To the Royal Bedchamber, my queen!"
"Really, Roy, this is highly unnecessary-"
"Oh, be quiet and enjoy it woman!"
It was sometime a week later when the family were eating a light supper out on the veranda that Roy suddenly exclaimed, "You know what every king needs?"
"What, Roy?"
"A house in the country! Away from the hustle-bustle of city life! A place he can relax, be himself! I happen to know of a charming little place out in the South-East. Now, what was it called..."
"Roy..."
"Don't you like my idea, wife?"
"You've got a manic look in your eyes. I don't trust it."
"Mwahaahahaaahaaa!"
"Daddy, you've got an evil laugh."
"Meep," Roy stopped laughing immediately and fell to the ground at his wife's feet. "Riza, our son thinks I have an evil laugh!"
"He's not the only one, dear."
"Huh?"
"Woof!" said Black Hayate.
That Summer, the residents of Resembool were surprised to discover that a large house was being built out in one of the fields. It had been a long time since anything of real size had been built in the town, and this new structure looked set to become the biggest.
"I wonder what it's for?" Edward Elric asked his brother one day, as they walked down the path towards the park with the kids in tow. It was Saturday afternoon, and every Saturday, they took the kids out while Winry and Mei took some time off to do something girly together.
Alphonse shrugged, and shifted his little daughter in his arms, much to her distaste. "Muh-uh!" she grumbled.
"All right, I'm sorry! Honestly, she's as grumpy as you are Brother."
"I am not grumpy!"
"Haha, Daddy's grumpy!"
Ed's two children, four-year-old Elliott and three-year-old Sarisa, streaked passed him at full speed chanting and full volume. "Daddy's grumpy, Daddy's grumpy!"
"Don't call your father grumpy, you little-"
"Whatya gonna do about it? Huh? HUH?"
"I can tell your mother, for a start!"
That shut them up, for the time being, and they resigned themselves to chasing each other the rest of the way and left the two brothers to chat in peace.
"Enjoy that, while you can!" Ed rubbed his temples, gesturing to his sleeping niece.
Al just smiled. "I'm kind of looking forward to when she grows up a little, and I can start to teach her things... talk to her properly. Won't that be nice, little one?"
"Yeah, I thought that too..."
"Oh come on, you love them."
Ed mumbled something that sounded like "'Course I do..." and then broke out into a run, dashing towards the kids and scooping them up in his arms, hoisting them over his shoulders.
"Mwahaha! I've got you now! Prepare to meet your doom!"
"Ahhh!" they screamed, flailing their arms about. "Uncle Alphonse, help!"
"Sorry kids, you're on your own here."
"No fair! He's bigger than we are." Elliott pouted, and hammered his father with his small fists. Ed only laughed manically at his feeble efforts.
"True, but there's two of you."
"Ugh!" Sarisa grabbed her father's ponytail and pulled, hard.
"Ow! Oy!"
"Hehe. Good one." Elliott, enthused by her attempt, grabbed his ear until he let them go and they scurried away.
"That hurt, you little... annoying, manipulative... clever, cute things..."
Alphonse came up by his side and caught him smiling at them fondly.
"What? They get the violent traits from their mother's side."
They finally reached the park and took up their usual bench while the two older children played around. Little Alice, not yet being one, was stationed firmly on her father's lap, although she kept pointing at her two cousins and mumbling, "Gago!" which roughly translated as "go".
"As soon as you can walk, you can play with the others," Al said, smoothing back her dark hair. "But until then, you're stuck here with me!"
Ed smiled at his brother and niece and leant across to tap her nose affectionately. The gesture just seemed to confuse her.
"She's a cute one, Al."
"But not as cute as yours, right?"
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything..."
Two mothers were sitting on the next bench gossiping about the new house up the road.
"Do you know who's building it? It looks awfully proper... and that huge wall!"
"I hear it's some big-shot military official. Wants a summer home for his family."
"Oh, well that's sweet."
"A military man, huh?" Ed turned his attention back towards Al. "Wonder if it's anyone we know."
"I doubt it. Who do we know eccentric enough to build a massive summer house in Resemebool?"
Ed froze for a split second, a steely, sarcastic glare and a manic laugh flashing from his memories.
"Brother? Something wrong?"
"Nah... it couldn't be. It's nothing. We ready to go back yet?"
"We just got here."
"Did we? Feels a lot longer..."
There was the sound of barking, and Ed looked up to see his children playing with a black and white dog that looked... oddly familiar somehow. A second later, it was gone.
"Must have imagined it."
"Imagined what, Fullmetal?"
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me..."
Ed turned around ever-so-slowly, delaying the inevitable truth he knew he was going to be faced with. Fuhrer Mustang, as tall, dark and handsome as he ever was, grinned manically back at him. The single consolation Ed got from this encounter was the knowledge he was now facing him at eye-level; they were exactly the same height.
"F-fuhrer Mustang!" Al jumped to his feet, freeing a hand to shake his. "How nice to see you!"
"It's good to see you too, Alphonse, though I think we can drop the 'Fuhrer' part, that's the whole point of being here. I think we can be on first-name basis now. Even the wife's managed that."
"Very funny Roy." Riza came up by his side with a pram. She looked, as usual, very stiff and formal, but her face softened as soon as she saw Alice in Al's arms.
"Oh," she smiled. "Is that one yours?"
"Yup," he said proudly.
"We were sorry we couldn't make it to the wedding. Political duties took us elsewhere. What's her name?"
"Alice. And yours?"
"This," Mustang said proudly, lifting the small bundle out and ignoring her protests, "is my daughter! Rosa Elizabeth Mustang! Isn't she simply adorable?"
"Oh boy..." Ed's palm made contact with his fist. "This is all disturbing familiar..."
"And this-" Mustang handed the baby back to Riza, who sighed and soothed her off to sleep again. "Is my son! Maes Christopher Mustang!" he pulled a small, dark-haired boy seemingly from nowhere and set him down on the ground. "Say hello to the Elric Brothers, Maes!"
"Hello," he said politely, extending a hand, "It's very nice to meet you."
"Yeah, yeah..." Ed waved him away disinterestedly. "I've got a couple of people I'd like to introduce you to. Hey, kids!" He let out loud whistle and they came scooting across from under the climbing frame. "Kids, this is... Colonel Roy Mustang, his wife, Lieutenant Riza Hawk- well, I guess it's Mustang now as well? They're... old friends of the family. Mustangs, these are my kids, Elliott and Sarisa."
"Hmm... Elliott Elric. Nice."
"Did you say something, Roy?"
"Nothing, Fullmetal!"
"Nice to meet you, Mister Colonel Mustang, sir," they chirped in unison.
Mustang grinned and looked at Ed. The message in his golden eyes was clear; mine are cuter.
"Well, Maes, it appears you've found yourself some playmates! How about you go and mess around on the swings for a bit while the grown-ups catch up?"
"But she's a girl!"
Sarisa puffed out her cheeks in anger. "So? What's that supposed to-"
"My sister's cooler than most boys, you big-"
"Yeah, and I can climb real fast too!"
"...I can't."
"You can't?" Sarisa softened. "We'll teach you! Come May-May. You know, I have an aunt called May. I didn't know it was a boy's name too..."
"It's Maes..."
The three children scooted across to the climbing frame and left the adults alone to talk. Riza and Alphonse were already knee-deep in conversation, chatting away merrily about babies. This left Mustang and Ed to themselves.
"Why did you say I was colonel... and Riza a Lieutenant?"
"You said you were here on a quiet basis. And you'll always be a Colonel to us, Roy."
Mustang grinned, and put his arm around Edward theatrically. He looked over towards the kids playing together and his smile broadened. "Edward, this looks like the start of a beautiful friendship!"
A/N: But for whoooo? :P
Just a bit of mindless drabble I know, but I actually think our boys would be like this as fathers! What do you think? Let me know!
