MotherUniverse here! Today is my birthday! For my birthday, I am giving myself the present of this fanfiction. Lovely present if I do say to myself. Obviously, this fic is about Ed's birthday. It will also contain fluff, feels, and other FMA things. I hope you like it!
This is my first one-shot, so tell me if it's good!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. It's sad, but I don't think any of us here on do.
I won't be having and endnote, mostly because I don't want to ruin the bittersweet end I'm writing with an authors note, so I'll say it here;
"And that's it for my birthday fic! I feel like not enough people on this site write about Ed's birthday. I decided not to give Ed's birthday a date, because I like the mystery of it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Read and review please!
~Mother Universe signing out!"
And without further ado, on with the show
Happy Birthday Edward!
When Edward was young, his birthday's were celebrated with joy. His mother would invite the Rockbell's and whatever school friends Ed happened to like at the moment over to the Elric house, and they would have a celebration. His mother died before his ninth birthday, but Granny's birthday party's weren't that bad either. Ed's eleventh birthday was celebrated at the Curtiss house. Izumi made them spend the morning training, but then in the afternoon, she invited Winry and Granny over to her house, and baked Ed one of the best cakes he ever had. For the most part, all of Ed's birthday's had been fun and happy. Then came his twelfth birthday.
On his twelfth birthday, Ed was still going through automail recovery. Granny made him a cake, and Winry and Alphonse bought him presents. It felt like any other birthday. However, there was one thing wrong;
Alphonse couldn't eat the cake.
He wouldn't be able to blow out the candles for his own cake when his birthday comes about. He couldn't share the first slice of cake with Edward like they always had. He wouldn't be able to lick the frosting off the cake, and he wouldn't be able to dip his slice in milk. As gross as Ed had thought this habit was, he missed it more than anything. For Al, there was no cake, no ice cream, no pizza. Even if Ed had to watch Al drink milk, he would be thankful. It's all my fault. Ed had thought. His twelfth birthday party ended in disaster. Ed had never celebrated, or even felt happy, on his birthday ever since.
That was, at least, until a particular super-dad decided that Ed needed to do something for his 15th birthday.
Maes Hughes almost hated paperwork as much as Roy Mustang did. It was a long process, somewhat tiering, and kept him from coming home to his wonderful family until late hours of the night.
Mustang had been temporarily posted in Central to solve a case. Something about a thief using alchemy, but Hughes wasn't sure about the details. What he was sure of, however, was that Mustang had most likely snuck some of his paper work into Hughes's own. Hughes never thought he would have to make a pile of "Mustangs work", yet here he was.
One document he came across, however, was actually the Fullmetal Alchemist official birth certificate.
"Roy, you've just reached a whole new level of carelessness" Hughes said to himself. He looked curiously at the birth certificate, and took notice at a particular date.
Ed's birthday was coming up in a week.
Hughes was surprised. Ed never seemed to even think about his birthday. Most kids at 14 would be ecstatic the week before their 15th birthday. Ed hadn't even mentioned it to anyone.
"Someone has to do something for this kids birthday" Hughes declared to himself. "And it might as well be me!"
Mustang's temporary office in Central looked as if it hadn't been used in years. It was clean; had no trace of papers or tools from the last person who used it, but every piece of furniture in the office was completely covered in dust, and the office smelled heavily of mothballs. It wasn't the greatest work environment. Mustang had been able to sneak some of his own paperwork into Hughes's pile, so his own load was lightened. He was pretty sure Hawkeye hadn't noticed yet, and he prayed that she never would.
He was having a bad day, and that day got increasingly worse when Hughes slammed a large stack of papers onto his desk.
"Hughes, what is this?" Mustang asked, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
"This is the paperwork you 'accidentally' gave to me" Hughes told him. Mustang rolled his eyes. Of course Hughes would notice. He had forgotten to take that into account when he snuck Hughes his paperwork in the first place.
A paper was shoved in front of his face. Mustang was mildly surprised when he realized this paper was not a picture of Hughes's wife and daughter. "Did you know about this?" Hughes asked accusingly.
Mustang grabbed the paper. "Fullmetal's birth certificate. So that's where it went" Mustang put the paper into a file cabinet in his desk.
"Did you know Ed's birthday is next week?" Hughes asked firmly.
"Of course I did" Mustang said, as if it should have been obvious.
"Arn't you gonna do something about it?" Hughes asked his friend.
"No"
"But—"
"Hughes" Mustang cut him off "I don't think Ed particularly likes his birthday"
Hughes took a second to think. There could be a multitude of reasons why Ed didn't like his birthday; from the fact that his mom couldn't bake him a cake again, to the knowledge that Alphonse could only watch everyone celebrate over the birthday food.
"Roy, I need you to give Al a call" Hughes told him. "I have an idea"
Mustang sighed. Hughes's ideas usually ended in either disaster or the two of them becoming a drunken mess. "What is it this time?" Mustang groaned.
"We" Hughes made sure to emphasis the 'we', "Are going to throw Edward a birthday party!"
Ed didn't like phone calls from Colonel Mustang at 9:00 at night when he is about to go to sleep. He didn't like phone calls from Colonel Mustang in general, but he especially didn't like them when he was about to go to bed.
"What?!" Ed snapped curtly into the phone.
"Can you put Alphonse on for me?" Mustang asked. He sounded exasperated. Ed couldn't think of what Mustang could possibly want Al for, but anything to Ed from talking to the bastard was fine with him.
"Al! Mustang wants to talk to you!" He shouted, then he dropped the phone onto the desk, plopped onto the bed, and fell asleep nearly instantly.
Al sighed in exasperation at his older brother's antics. He then walked over to the phone and lifted it to his helmet.
"Hey, Colonel." Al greeted politely, "what's going on?" It was odd that Mustang would want to specifically talk to him.
"Is your brother asleep?" Mustang asked.
"Uh, yeah, he's asleep." Al responded, slightly confused. "Why'd you ask?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes wants to talk to you" Mustang droned out. He sounded tired, and annoyed. Considering some of the situations Hughes would get him into, Al couldn't blame Mustang for being exhausted by Hughes's actions.
"Alphonse!" Cheered the overly chipper voice of Maes Hughes. Al wasn't sure how the man could have this much energy this late at night. "You know the new pet store down on fifth avenue?"
"Yeah," Al replied, more confused than ever, "doesn't it close at six though?"
"I know. Just meet me outside the shop by 10, ok? And don't bring Edward with you." At this, the phone was suddenly hung up.
Al stared at the phone for a few seconds. He put it down on the receiver, but still continued to stare at it. What just happened? He thought to himself.
Alphonse met both Hughes and Mustang outside the pet shop at 10. Hughes seemed almost giddy with excitement, while Mustang looked as if he rather be anywhere but outside the closed pet shop.
"Can you tell me why we're meeting outside a closed pet shop in the middle of the night?" Al asked as soon as he met up with the two older men.
"Did you know that your brother's birthday is next week?" Hughes asked joyously.
"Of course he knew, he's his brother, dumbass" Mustang snapped irritably.
"Hey, it was just a conversation starter!" Hughes defended. "Dumbass" He added after a pause.
"Can you two just tell me why I'm here?" Al asked, tired of being left in the dark.
"I'm gonna throw Ed a birthday party!" Hughes stated proudly. Al didn't say anything for a long time.
"That's a terrible idea" Al finally said.
"Told you" Mustang deadpanned to his friend.
"What about throwing Ed a party is a terrible idea?" Hughes asked.
"Ed doesn't like party's that much" Alphonse explained.
"I'm not gonna invite to many people, just some friends of his, and of course my wonderful family, and maybe that Winry Rockbell girl you two used to live with" Hughes rambled.
"Lieutenant Colonel" Alphonse started. "The last time we celebrated Ed's birthday, he... didn't enjoy it" He said sadly.
"Oh." Hughes said, catching on. "Why was that?"
"I couldn't eat the cake." Al said sadly.
Hughes took a second to think. He really wanted to throw Ed a birthday party. After all the ridicule and hardship that came with being the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward at least deserved a happy birthday, didn't he? How could he fix an unfixable problem? Suddenly, an idea sparked in Hughes's mind.
"I have an idea" He announced.
"It better be a good one" Mustang quipped.
"It is" Hughes said confidently. "Ed's going to enjoy this birthday. Just make sure he shows up"
"I really don't want to go" Ed droned out miserably. Currently, the gold-haired boy laid on his bed, his face in his pillow, and his long hair spread about messily. The day before Ed had been forced to pull an all-nighter. He just wanted to spend the day sleeping. Now he was being forced by his little brother to go to a birthday party. A complete energy leach if he ever seen one. Besides, Ed didn't really feel like celebrating his birthday.
"Come on Ed, the Lieutenant Colonel's being really nice to host a birthday party for you." Al explained. "At least go for an hour. I hear he's even invited Winry and Granny"
"Don't care" Ed stated, his voice muffled by his pillow.
"It's gonna be fun!" Al tried, his voice full with forced enthusiasm. If Al was to be honest with himself, he thought the birthday party was a terrible idea. "Brother, wouldn't you like to get out and do something?"
"Hell no"
"Your a cheery one" Al muttered sarcastically. "Well, I'm gonna go. It's been a long day, and I want to do something with it."
Al left the room. Ed let out a moan into the pillow. He forgot how stubborn his little brother could be. Ed dragged himself out of bed, got dressed, slipped on his coat, gloves, and elevator boots. This was gonna be long day.
"Wait up, Al! I'm coming!" Ed said tiredly as he exited the hotel room, running to catch up with his little brother. Al let out a light laugh.
"I knew you where coming, brother" Al just hoped that whatever Hughes had in mind, it would turn out ok.
Al was right. Winry was there. She seemed happy that Ed had actually showed up. Granny was there too, and so was all the members of team Mustang, and some of Hughes subordinates as well. Joyous music poured through the radio, which even military members danced to, grabbing partners and swaying to the music. Hughes was found dancing with his little Elicia, the girl standing on her papa's feet and laughing as he danced around with her.
"Ed!" Hughes called out joyously. "I'm glad you came!"
"Whatever" Ed groaned dismissively. The music was to loud, and the people were too happy. It gave Ed a headache. Ed sat down in the kitchen, as there where less people. However, he was kicked out by Gracia, who said that she didn't want him to see the cake yet. Edward didn't care; He didn't really want cake anyways.
Ed ended up sitting somewhere by the stairs, as far away from the crowed as he could get. Unfortunately, everyone that day seemed to want him to gain unwanted social time.
"I knew you weren't a party person, Fullmetal, but this is just sad." Colonel Mustang said, standing over Ed's seat on the stairs.
"What do you want, Colonel Bastard?" Ed asked. His voice lacked the usual sassy malice in it. He just sounded exhausted.
"This party is about you, you know. You should go out and enjoy it." Mustang bantered. Ed just groaned in response.
"Alphonse told Hughes and I about an old tradition that the two of you had." Mustang said. Ed wished Mustang would stop talking to him. "The two of you would share the first slice of cake. It's kinda cute" Mustang continued.
"Well, we won't be able to do that now. So what's the point?" Ed snapped.
"Gracia prepared the cake special." Mustang said. "You'll like it"
At this, Mustang left Ed alone, which he was grateful for. Ed laid down on the stair. If nothing else, he could at least take a nap.
"Get up, sleepyhead!" Came the demanding voice of Winry Rockbell. It pierced Ed's sleep violently, like a double edged knife, and the tug on his arm she used as a method to pull him up didn't make him feel any better. "Time for cake!"
"I'm not hungry" Ed grumbled.
"Bullshit, your always hungry!" Winry snapped, dragging Ed away from his comforting spot on the stairs and towards the Hughes's kitchen. Ed took a place at the only empty seat, the head of the table, reserved special for him, judging by the red and black balloons that where tied to the chair. Al and Winry sat in the spots next to him, and Gracia, being the cook, sat at the foot of the table.
"It's your favorite, Brother; Carrot Cake!" Al told his older brother, a hint of excitement in his voice. Ed could tell this excitement was real, and not the forced enthusiasm Al used to convince Ed to go to this thing. Al must have been enjoying himself. At least something good came out of this rotten party.
Mustang started laughing, using his hands to try and muffle the sound.
"What?!" Ed snapped irritably.
"I didn't see you as the kind of person to like Carrot Cake!" Mustang laughed.
"Shut up, you bastard. Carrot Cake is good! Probably better than your favorite flavor, anyways." Ed retorted.
"My favorite is chocolate. I've never met a single person who doesn't like chocolate cake" Mustang said smugly.
"Well, I hate chocolate cake" Ed stated grumpily.
"How could you hate chocolate cake?!" Mustang asked in shock.
"He doesn't like chocolate" Winry explained.
"You don't like chocolate? Who doesn't like chocolate?!" Mustang retorted in shock.
"It has milk in it" Al informed the colonel.
"That stuff is just solid milk trying to disguise itself with coco powder!" Ed stated. "I don't think I'm the only one who thinks chocolate is disgusting"
"Yes, Ed, you are the only person I've ever met who doesn't like chocolate" Mustang quipped. Ed just mumbled a few curse words in response.
"Ed, there is a two year old here!" Winry snapped quietly, gesturing to little Elicia, who had decided to sit next to her 'big sister Winry'.
"Who are you to talk about a foul mouth. You just used the word 'bullshit' a few minutes ago!" Ed snapped back, his voice loud enough for Elicia to hear it.
"What does bullshit mean?" Elicia asked curiously. Winry glared at Ed in response. Ed just let his head drop onto the table. It wasn't as if this day was bad enough. Now Winry would forever berate him for teaching a two-year-old the word 'bullshit'.
"Elicia, don't you ever use that word" Winry told her, trying to patch the situation back up.
"Why?" Elicia asked. Ed cringed. He would never live this one down.
Before Ed could humiliate himself more, however, Hughes came out carrying the birthday cake. It looked average, covered in white frosting, with blue icing used for detail, topped with rainbow candles. Ed couldn't see what was so special about this cake. Mustang must have been giving him hype.
"Happy Birthday to you!" Everybody started to sing, upon Hughes's prompting.
You all should pay a royalty fee for using this song. Ed thought bitterly as the guest sang the second line of the classic 'happy birthday song'.
"Happy Birthday dear Edward" Sure, very happy indeed. Ed groaned internally. He was currently feeling anything but happy.
"Happy Birthday to you!" Hughes put the cake in front of Ed. It was only then that Ed noticed what was so different about this cake, besides his unusual choice of flavor.
There was only half a cake on the plate. And it wasn't like it was just a small cake, it was obviously cut in half. One side wasn't frosted, so Ed could see the cake part and the frosting of the double-layering in between. There where only eight candles on the cake, instead of the fifteen that would mark his age, and instead of the letters on the cake reading "Happy Birthday Edward", it only read "Happy Edw".
"Huh?" Ed let out in confusion, looking up at the cakes server.
"Your probably wondering where the other half of the cake is" Hughes said good-naturally."Blow the candles out, and make a wish"
Ed didn't believe in superstitions, or wishes. He didn't believe that, just because you had a big enough lung capacity to blow out all the candles on a cake, it meant that you would get what you wished for. However, he ignored his logical side for a few seconds, making a wish as he blew out the candles anyways.
I wish Alphonse could eat the cake with me.
As soon as the candles where out, Hughes seemed to become even more excited. "Alright, now come to the fridge" He told Ed.
Ed left the seat and followed Hughes to the white refrigerator in the back of the kitchen. A few curious party-goers followed him. Gracia opened the fridge, and Hughes stood by the door, looking proud of whatever sat inside it.
In the fridge was the other half of the cake, the remaining seven candles sitting in it, and the words "Birthday ard" painted with blue icing. Next to the cake was a small card that read 'Reserved for Alphonse Elric'.
Ed's stared at the cake, a shocked expression on his face. "When Alphonse get's his body back, he has this cake to look forwards to" Hughes explained.
At first, Ed almost looked sad, but then he smiled. His spirits where suddenly lifted. "Your gonna keep this cake in the back of your fridge until Al get's his body back, huh? Wouldn't that take up room?"
"Have you ever seen my husband eat?" Gracia laughed. "We never have leftovers."
"Thanks, Mr. Hughes" Ed said honestly. He couldn't ever remember feeling this happy on his birthday. "You here that, Alphonse?!" Ed called out to his little brother. "You have a whole half a cake to look forward to when you get your body back!"
"All that cake!?" Al said in shock, looking at the size of the half reserved especially for him. "I could never eat all that!"
"Then we'll all share it!" Ed cried joyously.
"I wan't a corner piece!" Hughes teased.
"No way!" Ed retaliated. "The corners are reserved for me and Al!" Ed triumphantly marched back to the table. "Now come on! I wanna see what this cake taste like!"
After a one or two (ok, more like ten) slices of Carrot Cake, Ed sat off to the side of the room as the music once again blared from the radio. However, this time, Ed didn't find it annoying. It actually made him feel a bit happier. Hughes had done a good thing, preparing the cake the way he did. Ed may not have been able to share the first slice of cake with his little brother, but Al had a whole half a cake waiting for him, that Al could take joy in sharing with his big brother next birthday. Ed tapped his feet to the music, a genuine smile on his face.
"What'cha doing here all alone?" Winry asked, approaching her old childhood friend.
"It's a comfortable seat" Ed justified.
"It's your birthday Ed, you should get off your butt and come dance." Winry demanded.
"Why?" Ed asked lamely.
"Because, it's fun" Winry said. Her voice left no room for argument. "Besides," Winry said, grabbing Ed's wrist and pulling him onto the dance floor. "Mr. Mustang told me that you where a great dancer"
Winry grabbed both Ed's hands and forced him to dance with her. From behind Winry, Ed could see Mustang dancing with Hawkeye. How the man managed to get her to dance with him, Ed didn't know. Mustang caught Ed's eye, and gave him a knowing look, upon seeing Ed with the female blond that Mustang and the rest of the world knew of Ed's affections for. Ed sneered back at the man.
"She's too good for you!" Ed yelled at him out of spite. Mustang responded with a glare.
"Ignore him" Hawkeye told her superior officer, grabbing his face and turning it away from Ed's. Ed sweared to never let Mustang forget how red his face turned at this moment.
Mustang was right. Ed was a good dancer. Winry, however, wasn't, and most of the time ended up stepping on Ed's feet. While Ed wasn't pleased with his now sore feet, he found the situation more hilarious than annoying.
"I didn't know you were such a terrible dancer!" He laughed. Winry's face turned red.
"Shut up! It's been a while since I've danced with someone!" Winry tried to defend herself.
"The last time I danced with someone I was 9, and I'm leagues better than you!" Ed teased.
Hughes watched the banter between the two friends from a far, a satisfied look on his face. He hoped Ed would feel a slight joy. The boy was laughing. This exceeded his hopes.
"You did it, Maes" Mustang said, inching over to his best friend. "You got Ed to enjoy his birthday."
"Told you I could do it!" Hughes remarked smugly.
"I never doubted you for a second" Mustang replied.
"You said it was a bad idea"
"Ok, maybe I did doubt you for more than a second, but does it matter too much?" Mustang replied in fake offence. "You do realized Ed taught your little girl the word 'bullshit'"
"Yeah, I'm gonna get him for that later" Hughes vowed, slightly pissed that Ed ruined his daughter's innocence.
The two men looked at the scene before them. Ed, Al, and Winry where now dancing together, Ed teasing her about how 'Elicia was a better dancer' than her, and Al trying to hold Winry back when she jumped at her old friend. Eventually, Winry got even by making a quip about Ed's hight, which started a small fight, but it ended up ending in laughter. Mustang gave his friend a smile.
"I honestly didn't think your cake idea would work" Mustang informed Hughes.
"I did say it was a good idea." Hughes remarked.
"Fine. You where right. I admit it" Mustang laughed.
"I'm right about a lot of things" Hughes stated confidently.
The two men stood in silence, continuing to watch the joyous party. Happy 15th Birthday, Fullmetal.
"You do realize Ed's not gonna give you a corner piece" Mustang quipped.
"I realized." Hughes laughed. "But if he does, you gotta give me 5 cenz" He bet.
"Your on" Mustang said, accepting the challenge. "but get ready to pay up!"
Alphonse balanced on his crutch, his legs feeling tired from walking so much. It didn't matter. Alphonse Elric had missed every part of not having a body, leg pains included. He missed running out of breath, missed his body feeling tired, and he missed the unruly desire to lay down and sleep. There were also a few things he had looked forwards to as well. The second half of Edwards 15th birthday cake was one of the things at the top of Al's list.
"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you?" Ed asked. The broad shouldered teen looked at his still small little brother, who hadn't yet quite adjusted to life in a body.
"I'm ok. I can manage. I enjoy being able to feel things." The boy said with a smile.
"I hope the cake still taste good. It's been in the fridge for two years now" Winry said.
"Stale cake is still cake." Ed stated. "It'll taste fine!"
"You should've eaten it as soon as Al got his body back" Winry chastised.
"It's my birthday cake" Ed defended. "We had to wait until my birthday"
"Even if that meant waiting the four months for you to turn 17." Winry laughed.
"Yes." Ed replied simply.
The three friends finally arrived at their destination; the Hughes household. Ed knocked on the door, and Mustang answered it.
"So the birthday boy finally decided to show up" He berated. Ed was two hours late to his own party.
"The train out of Risimbule delayed. Not my fault" Ed sassily replied.
"You say that for everything" Mustang laughed.
"Whatever. How are the eyes adjusting?" Ed asked.
"I honestly thought they'd adjust faster, considering I was only blinded for a few weeks." Mustang replied.
"Ed! Al! Winry!" Cried an excited voice from the living room. The three where bombarded with hugs from the lovely four-year-old that was now Elicia Hughes. Ed noticed how joyed Al looked to be hugged by the little girl.
"Hey Elicia" Al greeted with a smile. "How's it going?"
"Some tall guy named Ling is taking all the food!" Elicia cried.
"Wait, Ling's here?" Ed questioned.
"Of course I'm here!" Cried a joyous voice from the kitchen. The young Xingese boy walked out to the front door and threw an arm around Ed. "I can't miss my buddy's 17th birthday party!"
"But what about—" Ed started, worried about Ling's attempts to claim the Xingese throne.
"Don't worry, I already presented my gift to the emperor. Lan Fan's staying at Xing in representation of me!" Ling explained.
"How's May doing?" Al asked Ling.
"She's doing great!" Ling cheered. "She's in Xing right now. But she had me bring you a present"
"But it's not my birthday"
"She doesn't care"
"Did she get me a present?" Ed asked hopefully. He loved unwrapping gifts as much as the next guy.
"Nope" Ling said innocently, pretending to ignore Ed's scowl.
"Ed, Al, Winry! I'm so glad you made it!" Gracia greeted the three newcomers, emerging from the kitchen with Izumi by her side. Ed had to smile at how the two woman had befriended each other over the month. "Your just in time for cake!" Gracia said joyously.
The two Elric brothers cheered. Winry gave them a happy and amused smile. It was nice to see them so happy.
The half a cake waiting in the fridge for Alphonse to have some was finally taken out. After two years, the brother's where more than ready to dig in. Ed grabbed a corner piece, and sat at the head of the table, where red and black balloons were tied to the back of the chair. Al sat next to his big brother.
"Happy Birthday to you!" Gracia started singing, her voice clear as a bell.
"Happy Birthday to you!" Everyone sang, joining in.
"Happy Birthday dear Edward!"
"Happy happy happy 17th birthday to me!" Ed interrupted the song, singing out as loud as possible. His singing voice was dusty, for lack of use. Now that Ed thought about it, this was probably the first time he really sang since Al lost his body. It felt good.
The two brother's dove into the first piece of cake. It was really stale, but still good. After the brothers finally shared their first piece, everyone else dove into their pieces. Ed made sure to secure the second corner piece. However, he let it sit by the side of his plate, and it remained uneaten.
After the two-year-old cake was done, Gracia brought out a fresh Carrot Cake. It was just as good as the last one (and less stale). Izumi noticed the corner piece Ed had secured just sitting by Ed's plate as he dug into a slice from the new cake.
"Are you going to eat that?" Izumi asked her former student.
"No. I'm saving it for a friend." Ed told her, a sad smile on his face as he looked down at the piece. Izumi put a hand on his shoulder. She understood.
It was dark when Edward, Alphonse, and Winry walked into the graveyard, carrying a single plate of a corner piece of Carrot Cake. Mustang trailed behind the trio, having just drove them there. Ed smiled, and placed the slice on the gravestone of Maes Hughes.
"You did an impossible feat, Mr. Hughes" Ed told him. "You got me to enjoy my birthday."
The three began to walk away. Mustang lingered for a bit. He flipped a five-cenz piece onto his best friends grave.
"You win, Maes. He did let you have a corner piece"
"Happy Birthday Edward" Hughes cheered as everyone left the house.
Three words. That was it. But it was enough to make Ed feel better than he had in years. And even though Hughes wasn't able to shout it to Ed at the doorstep of his house anymore, like he did when Ed had turned 15, as Edward Elric walked away, he felt he could here these words, in Hughes's voice.
He hoped Hughes enjoyed his cake.