Against All Odds Darkmoon Child Chapter 2: A Strange Ailment
Three weeks had passed since Roy had sent Ed to complete the mission and he had yet to return. Roy lay in bed wondering about that night they spent together in the hospital. He just couldn't get it out of his head. He walked around all day in a trance, constantly knocking into people. His temper seemed to have so many ups and downs anymore that it utterly amazed him. He was usually pretty level headed; he couldn't understand why he was suddenly loosing his cool so often.
His wonderings were put to a halt as suddenly a bout of nausea overtook him and he ran to his adjoining bathroom. He tripped over the rug and fell to his knees before the cool porcelain. Just in time.
He flushed the toilet after emptying the contents of last night's meager dinner into its rounded bowl. He leaned his forehead against the coolness of the porcelain as another wave of nausea swept threw him, causing him to moan aloud in agony. He stood tipsily as he moved to look at himself in the large bathroom mirror. His complexion was pale and slightly gaunt. He shook his head and splashed some cool water on his face before dressing for work.
A month passed by with no word from Ed, he seemed to have almost disappeared off the face of the world, and with each passing day Roy grew fouler and sicker. He also began to fell achy all the time and his chest felt slightly tender. He kept getting stomach cramps that caused him to double over in pain. His sense of smell was also extremely tender. The smell of cooking food made him nauseous, seeing it was even worse. Someone recommended he munched on Saltines, so he did for quite a while.
On the last day of the month a knock came at his door. He called them in as he sat back wearily in his chair. Hughes sauntered in and grinned at him cheerfully.
"And exactly what in the world are you cheerful about Hughes?" Roy stared at the man contemptuously.
"Oh nothing. Hey- Mustang have you put on a few pounds... you look heavier. Are your ankles swollen..? Whoa, man you should go see a doctor. You look terrible"
"Thanks, I love hearing that in the morning, just boosts my self-esteem," Roy tartly replied.
"Lieutenant-Colonel Roy Mustang, we have taken a vote... and we are ordering you to go see a doctor..." Hughes grinned down at the solemn man.
"Or what"
"Or we'll drag you kicking and screaming, that's what," Hughes grinned as he told him this.
"Fine. Whatever"
"What, you mean you're actually gonna listen to us for once..." Hughes feigned shock before grinning happily, "Good then I guess we should be on our way, I'm going to drive you... we don't trust you with heavy machinery"
Roy grimaced as he followed the jovial man out the door and down the hall.
"Mr. Mustang, I have some good news and some bad news... which one would you like first," the doctor sat down at his desk and stared at Roy across from him.
"The good news, I suppose"
"Very well, the good news is that your are not terminally ill"
"And the bad news"
"Um... well you see... the bad news is really a mixed blessing. Both good and bed. You see, Mr. Mustang, you are with child"
"With child"
"Yes, Mr. Mustang, you are pregnant. About a month and a half along by the looks of it"
"I'm pregnant... you have got to be kidding me. That's impossible doctor you may want to re-examine that information because in case you didn't realize it, I'm a male"
"And you are also an alchemist; Alchemy changes the body so slightly one may never know. But if two extremely powerful alchemists get together, it could result with one coming away with a child. So would you like to tell me who the father is, Mr. Mustang"
"Oh my God..." Mustang began to weep as he stared at the doctor, then stood and rushed from the suddenly stifling office. Mustang leaned against the wall outside of the office, tears streaming down his face. He wiped his face quickly with shaking hands, turning and resting his head against the wall to try and regain composure. His hands fell naturally to the slight bulge in his muscular stomach. He thought of the night a month and a half ago- Ed, the fullmetal alchemist, was one of the strongest alchemists he had ever met... while he, Roy Mustang, was the famed flame alchemist... how was it possible that something so evil could be generated by something so pure. Well perhaps maybe not evil, he had always wanted children. Just not this way. He had no idea how he was going to tell Ed so he decided as he leaned against the cool plaster walls that he wouldn't tell Ed. He hadn't returned from the West yet, he could even be gone for years. The famous Fullmetal Alchemist was never known to hurry where he could otherwise linger and take his sweet time in doing someone's or usually his own biddings. He banged his head hard against the wall before forcing his hands away from their instinctive resting spot. He turned to find himself under the intense scrutiny of one particularly nosey alchemist. Hughes grinned at him as he stood in the middle of the wide hall, obviously awaiting Roy so they could depart.
"So are you going to die or is it just tummy troubles?" Hughes raised his brows as he spoke.
"Tummy troubles doesn't even begin to describe it," Roy began to move towards the exit and Hughes followed silently.
They were well on their way back to headquarters before Hughes brought the subject up again.
"So... do you wanna talk about it?" Hughes voice was solemn as he kept his eyes on the road.
"Not really," Roy slouched uncharacteristically in his seat covering his face with his hands.
"Are you sure, sometimes it really helps... and if you'd rather I won't tell anyone- if it makes you uncomfortable for other people to know you have a weakness of some sort."
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," Roy's flat tone backed up the statement.
"Try me."
"I'm pregnant, a month and a half along to be exact," He replied in the same flat emotionless voice.
"Okay... definitely not what I expected. But I have heard of it happening. So whose the lucky guy... hey, I never even knew you were gay Mustang- I was so positive you and the Lieutenant had something going on. But hey your sex life is your sex life; I'm not giving out free pointers on how to run your sex life. You, the great flame alchemist, are going to be a daddy... or is it mommy... Whoa this is way too complicated," Hughes shook his head, grinning as he cast a glance at the sullen younger man slouching beside of him.
"Your just going to have a field day with this, aren't you Hughes?" Mustang's voice was tight and the tears he was holding back could be heard easily in the straining.
"No, actually I'm happy for you. You'll be a great father...um... mother... uh... parent to your child and hopefully so will your partner. So... do I know him?" Hughes risked another glance at his boss.
Roy sighed nodding slowly. Images of that night flooding back again.
"Are you going to tell him"
Roy shook his head slowly from side to side, crossing his hands over his chest.
"And why not"
"Because I doubt he'd care. It's not as if we love each other or anything... plus I doubt I'll see him for a very long time. I don't know where he is... I never know where he is..." Roy's voice sounded sadly reminiscent.
Hughes eyes widened as he pulled over onto the side of the road and turned to stare at Mustang. Roy just continued to stare off into the distance in front of them.
"The father is Ed... as in Edward Elric... The Fullmetal Alchemist is the father of your child... I'm- I'm speechless... for once in my life I am actually speechless," Hughes shook his head bewildered as it sank in, opening his mouth to say something then shutting it again.
"I never said that..." Roy looked at Hughes uncomfortably.
"He's the only strong alchemist that I know who leaves and never tells anyone where he's headed or when he will be back and then stays away for long periods of time, sometimes years. Plus according to the nurses at the hospital you were the last one to visit him, and you came in the early afternoon- leaving early the next morning. He left less than a week later and had no more visitors who stayed for more than a few minutes... plus you said you were a month and a half along- that's about the time Ed left. It all makes sense now..." Hughes pulled back onto the road and drove the rest of the way to headquarters silently grinning.