Summary: A what-if AU where Hohenheim comes home a few days after Ed and Al did their first transmutation. Imagine his surprise when he sees what lies on the floor in front of his desk.

This was purely inspired by a page in the manga where Trisha commented saying something about the alchemists of the world fainting if they heard that her sons were able to understand an alchemy book.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FMA!

As Hohenheim ascended the hill that led to his house, he couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia. It had only been about a year or two since he left, but it was during that time in which he had forgotten something very crucial in his plan to stop Homunculus…

That was, to say, the map.

It was a bit embarrassing to say the least. Of all things to leave behind, he forgot to bring the map of the country with him; the very map that had all his notes regarding the points of the nationwide transmutation circle written down on it. But, in a way, it was a bit of a relief to him at the same time. He was able to at least see Trisha and the boys again before leaving again-which may be one of the most difficult choices he had to make…again. Hohenheim took note of the silence that surrounded his home. That could only mean that either the entire family was out, or only the boys were playing with Winry while Trisha was out back. He was a bit nervous to walk inside after being gone for two years.

He had to at least try.

So, he opened the door and stepped in.

Hohenheim immediately noticed Trisha in the kitchen washing the dishes. Not wanting to bother her, he made his way to his study as silently as possible.

"Dear? Back so soon?"

The Xerxian man halted in his tracks, knowing full well that Trisha was directly behind him. He turned around to see his wife standing by the kitchen door, drying her hands on her apron with a questioningly look.

Hohenheim swallowed, "Umm…well, you see, I left something behind so I came back to get it." He tentatively rubbed the back of his head with his free hand.

Trisha chucked. "Well, it's nice to see you again-" a pause, "even if it's only for a short while." The brunette then joined her husband as they walked over to his study.

"So, how are the boys doing?" Hohenheim asked, wanting to break the silence between them.

"They're doing great as always!" Trisha responded happily, "You should've seen what they did the other day." She added with a small laugh.

At this, he gave his wife a confused questioning glance. What could the boys have done recently? Origami? Drawing? Singing?! Starting up a band?! JOIN THE MILITARY?! Okay, that last one would be inhumane and impossible, but anything is a possibility these days. At least they didn't commit the taboo. But it's too soon for little kids to be thinking of that-what was he even THINKING?!

Soon enough, they arrived at his study. Hohenheim immediately noticed the door opened and books scattered all over the floor. He nearly deadpanned, "What chaos got in here?" he couldn't help but ask Trisha.

"Oh! I told those boys to clean up after themselves this morning!" Trisha huffed as she walked into the room so she could pick up the fallen books. Hohenheim followed after her and saw a small wooden bird transmuted from the floor as he helped picked up the books. It took him a few seconds to realize what exactly it was.

Alchemy.

It finally dawned on him. The boys did alchemy.

He had to confirm it with Trisha though, "Uhh, Trisha?" he waited for his wife to give him her attention before continuing, "By 'what they did,' did you mean alchemy?" At this, Hohenheim looked pointedly at the small bird statue on the floor.

Trisha followed her husband's gaze. There was a small moment of silence before she gave out a small chuckle. Hohenheim looked at her.

Seeing his confused look, she decided to explain, "Yes, dear! That was actually their first transmutation from just a few days ago. They really do take after you." Trisha gave him a fond smile.

Hohenheim shifted over to his sons' creation, careful so as to not accidentally mess it up, and studied it closely. It was well made and while the transmutation marks were very minimal at this point, he could tell that they put effort into the details.

"Trisha?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Refresh my memory. How old are Ed and Al again?"

Trisha thought to herself for a second before answering, "Ed's five, and Al's four. Why do you ask?"

Hohenheim mulled the information over in his head. Ed and Al are five and four respectively. They did their first transmutation a few days ago. They started learning alchemy…from who? Who taught them alchemy all of a sudden and why?

Trisha noticed the confused look on her husband's face. Smiling, she closed her eyes and decided to answer his unasked question. "If you're wondering who taught the boys alchemy, they learned it by themselves from your books."

The old Xerxian started. "Wh-what?!" Now that he thought about it, it kinda made sense. But to think it was his books that got them learning alchemy… Suddenly, his mind had a hard time processing the information. His mind went blank. The last thing he saw was his wife's surprised, yet worried, expression before he officially blacked out.

Ed and Al finally came home after a long day spent playing with Winry by the river only to hear a loud thud resound from their home. Startled and worried for their mother's safety, the brothers ran over to their father's study where they heard the sound come from. The moment they arrived, however, they were met by the sight of their mom crouched on the floor next to their dad-who they hadn't seen in at least two years.

"…Mom?" Ed started, surprised at the sight that laid in front of him.

Trisha looked up at hearing her eldest son call out to her. Her surprised expression quickly melted into a smile. "Welcome back, boys!" she said.

Al decided to chime in, "Is Dad okay? When did he come home?"

"He came back not too long ago," their mom replied. She then glanced down at her unconscious husband, "He's just tired from his trip and needs to rest is all."

Both boys never said a word after that as Trisha rolled her husband onto his back, taking extra precaution to not damage anything in the room, and asked her sons to get an ice pack and some pillows.

It was well into nightfall that Hohenheim finally opened his eyes. He felt a melted ice pack slip off his forehead as he sat up on the floor. The second thing he noticed was a bowl of stew next to him, and shortly after, the door of his study cracked open…with Edward peeking in from behind it.

Ed quickly started when his father's gaze fell onto him and hurriedly rushed back to the room he and Al shared. Hohenheim let out a small huff and smiled at his son's antics. At least he knew who to thank for bringing him his dinner.

Glancing back at the small bird statue, he sighed. There's no way he could leave that there on the floor like that. Hohenheim took the moment to use his alchemy to separate the statue from the floor and even out the surface. He then picked up the little figurine along with his dinner and moved to his desk to be more comfortable. As he stared at the map that lay on his desk, the golden haired alchemist proceeded to place the map on top of his briefcase before eating.

His wife's cooking was wonderful as always. As he ate, he started to hear some of the voices of his fellow Xerxians speak up.

"Finally up? You had us all worried there for a sec!"

"Guess the shock of your sons' latest achievement was too much? Hahahahahahaha!"

"Hohenheim, you better at least spend some time with your wife and kids!"

"Yeah, what she said! Do it for us!"

"We will never let you live down the day you faint at the sight of your sons' first transmutation!"

Hohenheim sighed and shook his head. They won't let him live it down? He laughed silently and decided to leave them be. They needed to have some fun every once in a while.

Later that evening, Hohenheim joined Trisha in Ed and Al's room, watching by the doorway as she tucked them in bed. Trisha turned to him with a nervous laugh. "I know I said that if the alchemists of the world were to hear of this, they would probably faint. But I didn't think that it would come true so soon," she whispered just low enough for only her husband to hear.

The golden haired alchemist let out a low chuckle, "Since when did I make 'alchemist of the world'?"

"You're a good enough alchemist to be considered one," she countered back.

With that, Trisha made her way to their room to get ready for bed. However, Hohenheim stayed behind to watch Ed and Al sleep for a bit longer. He didn't make a move to pat them on the heads though, as if he were still in fear of spreading the "monster" to them—some of the souls inside him protested at that thought. Instead, he took out two small blank journals that he had bought on his travels—one brown, and the other black—and placed them on the table next to their bed. Giving his sons one last look of satisfaction, he left the room and closed the door.

The next morning, Hohenheim double checked to see if his map was secured in his briefcase. Finding that it was, he let out a relieved sigh and closed it once more. He glanced back at the small wooden bird that remained on his desk, contemplating on whether or not he should take it with him. In the end, he decided against it as it serves as a reminder of what their first transmutation was. Hohenheim turned to the doorway of his study to find his wife standing there. He gave her a small smile before stepping out of the room with his briefcase in hand.

"You're leaving so soon?" his wife asked.

Hohenheim stayed silent for a few moments before finally replying back to her, "Yes. There are still some things I have to do before I'm done," a pause, "Will you still wait for me?"

Trisha nodded her head in understanding, "Of course. I will always wait for you." She then gave him a loving smile.

Seeing her smile reignited his determination. In return, he smiled back, "Give the boys my regards." And with that, he stepped out the door once more.

AN: Okay...I have NOT done any sort of fanfiction writing in a loooooong time! But for some reason, I'm satisfied with it. I was actually thinking back to when Hohenheim mentioned that he took the time to get to know all the souls of Xerxes he has inside him and thought they could tell what was going on and give their own comments...if that makes any sense. About the journals...it was never revealed where Ed and Al got their journals, but since Hoho-papa was there anyway, I couldn't help myself! XD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this nice little oneshot! Feedback is really appreciated! :D

-KaylinElemental15...OVER AND OUT!