Aftermath
"Edward," Mustang said when Ed had come in, asking about Tucker. It had been a few days since Ed ha discovered the chimera Tucker had created with his daughter and dog.
Just a few days since Mustang had told Edward to grow up and get over his problems when the boy had found the corpse of the little girl he cared for so dearly, exploded from the inside out.
He knew Ed would ask about Tucker sooner of later.
"The Sewing Life Alchemist has been executed. The military was so embarrassed of his actions that he was sentenced without a trial," Mustang explained.
"What?!" Ed exclaimed. He would give them something to be guilty over. "What do you mean? He's dead?!"
"Fullmetal, you're a smart enough boy to know that execution means he is dead," Mustang said, hardly paying attention to his youngest subordinate. "I have an assignment for you, if you're done asking questions."
"Sir, I need to go see Tucker's grave." The word 'sir' felt disgusting on Edward's tongue.
"Fullmetal, I just said I had an assignment for you," Mustang said, looking up to the boy. He noticed how pale Edward had become and sighed. I'm too nice, the man thought. "Report here first thing in the morning for your assignment."
"Thanks, Mustang," Ed said, turning and bolting from the room.
The colonel paused.
"Mustang?"
Edward found out Tucker's grave location from Havoc. The lieutenant was nice enough to give him small details about the case, but Ed didn't want to know the whole story. He knew enough; more than anyone else would ever know.
Ed knelt over the grave. It was just a small headstone that read, Loving Father. No mentioning of him ever being in the military.
Some father he was, Ed thought. Even my old man wasn't as bad as him. His dad may have walked out on him, but he never did what Tucker did.
"You just had to die before I could get back at you, huh?" Ed asked the grave. He took an automail hand and beat on the ground.
Ed knew if Tucker had lived, he probably wouldn't have gotten the revenge he wanted. He was just a kid.
"I hate you..." Ed trailed off. "You don't control me anymore! I'm not the perfect soldier and I'm not your pet. I'm just Ed! And I won't ever take orders from anyone else again!" Ed exclaimed.
Ed continued to pound on the ground for hours before he heard Al's armor behind him.
"I'm upset too, brother," Alphonse said in his sweet brotherly tone of voice. He didn't want Edward to feel guilty or sad.
"I know, Al," Ed managed out in a wavering voice. Alphonse would never know the pain that he had gone through. He never wanted Al to feel that way. "Sorry for losing it. How'd you find me?" Ed wanted to change the subject quickly.
"Lieutenant Havoc told me where you went," Al answered. "He deserved to be executed for what he did, brother."
"He deserved more of my fist in his mouth," Ed said.
Alphonse was silent for a moment before muttering, "I thought you were going to kill him, brother."
"I wish I did," Ed responded.
"You don't mean that," Alphonse said.
His big brother wasn't a murderer.
But he didn't have the same big brother anymore.
"You're right, Al," Ed lied.
In case you guys didn't notice, that was the first time Ed had called Roy 'Mustang' and the colonel was taken aback by it.
