A/N: Hello! Sorry it took a little while to get this through! :) next chapter i think i will start to introduce the past of Ed and Riza. Like more i think! Anyways i'm am so happy you guys reviewed this story! :D it makes me super happy! well this chapter is about the relationship of Ed and Ling. I also found out that most 3 and a 1/2 year olds don't think like a 5 year old like Ed. So i just wanted to say that Ed is a freaking genius. And i mean come on its Ed. He can manage this in some reality. lol anyways enjoy the chapter and please review! :D
Edward was bored. Usually his mom would give him something to do while she worked. But today Edward was in the back room bored out of his mind. He hoped his mom would give him something to read or some flowers to cut. But she never came to the back room. Needless to say, Edward was getting irritated.
He was annoyed of all the customers talking about how the flowers were pretty, or how Riza was so young and why she didn't have a husband. Ed didn't like listening to old people talk. He adored hanging out with them when they had candy. But Edward was almost 4 and he had no idea half of the things people would talk about.
He looked to the window as he climbed off of his chair. His mom would yell at him if he got caught sneaking out. But Edward needed out before he died of boredom.
He walked to the basin and pulled himself up to the sink before he reached up and unlatched the window. More carefully not to make noise, Edward pulled himself to sit on the window ledge. Behind the flower shop was nothing but a dark alley. Market street had tons of alleys and had at least a few dozen cats and trashcans.
From where he sat he could see an older man smoking as he petted a cat. Careful not to let the man see him Edward leaned and jumped onto a stable trashcan. Then he ducked to land on the floor. Once down he smirked and ran off towards freedom. He wasn't thinking about how mad his mom would be when she learned he had blonde boy had been greeted by the market vendors and he smiled and waved as he ran down the streets and carefully avoided running in front of the flower shop.
"Hey Edward!" The blonde looked up from his feet as he saw Ling waving at him from across the street.
Ed's gold eyes widened before he glowered up at the older male. Ling held a bag of groceries in one hand as he smiled carelessly at Edward.
"Do you want some ice cream?" Ling asked as Ed's glowered turned into a smile. He nodded his head as he ran across the street to join his favorite teenager (though he'd never admit it.) He smiled at Ling who was waiting patiently for the blonde. But what surprised Edward was when Ling's eyes opened showing him alarmed black eyes. Edward halted as he heard a loud screeching noise.
He turned to his left as he saw a car running towards him. Ed could only stare as he watched the car rush up closer to him.
One moment Ed was watching the black car swerve towards him.
The next a warm body had wrapped Ed into a protective embrace as he was thrown back across the street. Ed's tiny hands clenched the fabric of a black shirt as the arms shoved Ed's face into their chest. Hitting the hard cement the car managed to halt and crash into a light post. When it was over Ed heard an irritated grunt.
He pushed against the arms and stared at Ling's face. Ling sat up Ed still in his lap as the older teen rubbed the back of his head and stare at Ed with one eye. "You really are a magnet for trouble, aren't you kid?" He commented as Ed blinked not sure what had just happened. He opened his mouth to speak but Ling placed a hand on Edward's head.
"At least your okay." Ed stared horrified as he saw blood trickle down Ling's arm. The blonde wasn't sure how he avoided the car, but now he was.
Ling had grabbed Ed out of the way in time.
And he was hurt because of Edward.
Tears welled in the kid's eyes as he sniffled and rubbed at his eyes refusing to cry.
Ling blinked and looked at the kid in his lap who had started to shake. "Are you crying?" Ling asked surprised. In the whole time Ling had taken care of Edward, he never saw Ed cry. It had been one of the many surprises of Edward Hawkeye. Once Ed had tripped and had a nasty fall, but Ed had never cried about it.
He merely yelled at Ling when they went to disinfect it. Even when Ed was upset about his mom dropping him off, he would just stay quiet and rant about it. Ed ground his teeth and glared at Ling as he tried to force his tears back.
"No! I-I'm not!" Ed exclaimed. Ling stared at the blonde that tried to hide his face from ling. A small smile found its way to his face as Ling tried to wonder what was going on through
Since as long as Ed could remember he looked up to Ling. The blonde was fascinated by the black haired man. On most occasions he loved going over while Ling and his friend Ran-fan spared. The blonde also liked the way Ling seemed serious when he opened his eyes. Or how Ling always knew where everything was even if he had his eyes closed. In his opinion Ling was the 2nd best thing besides his mother.
His mom was incredible and knew how to make grown men cry (just like the weird people in blue uniform, Ed reminded himself.) She was the perfect fighter in Ed's mind. And he wished there was a way Ed could repay them. He was still young but he didn't want the most important people in his life to get hurt. He wanted to protect them.
But Edward was always in trouble. Whether it was random animals trying to bite him (which seemed to be a lot more than usual lately) or from some older creepy pedophile guy! His mother and Ling were always there to protect him. Yet, Ed had managed to hurt someone instead of protecting them like he wanted to.
It was a blank wake up call for a 3 and-a-half- year old.
"Come on Edo-kun. You don't need to cry. you're okay." Ling mumbled as he picked up Ed in his arms. The blonde stayed silent as he buried his face into Ling's shoulder. Ling sighed as he saw the market vendors help the man out of the vehicle. Then he grimaced at the lecture he was going to get when Riza heard about Ed almost getting run over. Ling feared the lady though he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because she was obsessed with protecting her son.
Probably more than other mothers. He jumped when a voice screamed for him. He turned in time to see none other than Riza Hawkeye running over. She looked frantic at Ling. But once she took in their shaken forms her eyes glowered. Ling felt a shiver run up his spine. He remembered going over to her house and seeing random bullet holes in the walls.
She claimed Ed had been writing all over the walls when he was younger. She said she hadn't had time to fix up the house. But every time Ed would wander over that part of the house he would stand up straighter and Riza's eyes would grow a little colder.
L
ing was glad he didn't have to be disciplined by such a scary lady. "What on earth happened? Is he okay? Are you okay?" She asked a little rushed as Ed pulled away from Ling's shoulder and saw his mother. Almost immediately Riza picked Ed up and looked him over. Then cast a glare Ling's way.
"What is Ed doing out here? I left him in the back of the flower shop." She growled. Ling didn't miss a beat. "I found him across the street and asked if he would want some ice cream. But when he crossed the street the car almost hit him!" Ling said. Her glare turned harder and Ling immediately raised his hands up over his head.
"I swear I didn't hurt him!" He exclaimed. Satisfied she pulled back and looked at Edward as the boy stopped crying and was avoiding her gaze and staring at the interesting floor. "Ed, are you hurt?" She asked as Ed gave a sigh. She pushed back his gold bangs and gazed at Ed's golden eyes.
"I'm fine mom." Ed mumbled as the blonde gave a sigh.
She escorted Ling back to the hardware store (while giving him an earful for not looking out for Ed and almost getting the both of them killed.) and then she walked Ed back home. Ed wasn't too happy and he kicked pebbles as he held his mother's hand. She didn't question him and knew in the morning Ed would feel better. She looked up at the sky instead and saw it was dark and looked like it was about to rain.
Pursing her lips she wordlessly opened the door to her home. Once inside she took off her jacket and helped Ed out of his. The blonde boy pulled at his shirt which was starting to irritate him. She smiled softly as she got his attention by gripping his wrists.
"Now let's get you changed in Pajamas. It's going to be cold tonight so I'll tuck you in extra warm. How does that sound?" A small sad smile slipped onto Ed's face as he nodded and kicked off his shoes, running upstairs. She finished her own business and then went up after Ed. The room was painted a normal pale white color. But Ed's room was drastically different.
Ed's room was painted a baby blue color. His curtains were a gold color while his bed was a red color. His dressers were white and the whole room just looked like a splash of different colors. She walked over the tons of toys that were piling out of Ed's toy box. On the walls were pictures of different things Ed pieced together.
Besides Ed being an Alchemist and boy genius, Ed was talented in drawing things. Usually he showed his mother and they placed wherever there was room on his wall. But sometimes crayons and papers littered the floor along with the occasional toy truck. Ed sat on his bed kicking his feet as he looked at his mom rummage through his drawers and pull out blue pajamas.
"Come take off your shirt Ed." She said as the blonde boy nodded and obeyed by climbing out of his clothes.
Once fully dressed she tucked him in and kissed his forehead wishing him sweet dreams. She decided then that it would be best to shower while Ed went to sleep.
She woke up late in the night to something moving around in her room. Shocked she blinked open her eyes looking around the darkness. She blindly reached for the gun that was laying on her nightstand as she sleepily pointed it into the darkness. She blinked back sleep as she tried to take into account what was in her room. No sooner had she cocked her gun did she hear the whimper from the one and only golden haired boy.
She gave a sigh as she pulled the safety back on the gun and put it on her nightstand. "What's wrong, Ed?" She asked as she saw Ed's gold eyes glow as he wearily stepped into her bed. It was raining pretty hard when Ed had gotten in and she took notice of the thunder crashing outside. Ed sat patiently as her eyes became more focused in the night. In one of his hands was a stuffed cat that Alphonse had gotten for Ed when he was born.
Edward refused to let the cat go through the nights and it showed how much Ed loved his uncle. The cat was already raggedy looking and sewed up in areas by Riza's clumsy needle work.
He petted the top of the cat's fluffy head as another roar split through the room as did lightening. In the moment of light she saw the fear glowing in Edwards eyes. "Ed…" She whispered as she reached over and pulled him into her warm embrace. The boy immediately started to cry softly in her arms. She sighed as she pulled the warm blanket over them.
"Don't worry baby, Mommy's here." She stated as Ed clenched his chubby arms around her neck.
"Don't e-ever leave me!" Ed exclaimed.
Riza hummed a soft melody as she nodded.
"I won't leave you. Never." Ed cried into her softly as the cat was shoved in between them. She closed her eyes as sobs racked through Ed's body. Ed usually acted big and tough in front of her. But on thunder storms Ed was always in her bed. She suspected it was because of the time Ed had been left alone on a rainy day.
Ed had memory's Riza wished he never had. Once Ed settled down she continued to hum as she retraced the memory of the one man had ever gotten past Riza's defense's.
