Author's Notes: Ah, shit is getting so complicated now. But I really enjoyed writing this one, even if it's not super Royai. It's got some good parental!Royed moments though. You all know I can't help but play on the tension with that. And I really like writing about Roy dealing head on with the military. It's a big mental exercise. In the process, I finally figured out what I'm going to do with Team Mustang in this group of interconnected one-shots. I had a hard time figuring out how I wanted this mission to play out. I mean, it's a lot to think of, okay? (I still had fun.) So yeah, this one is connected with G is for Generous and H is for Hero.


I is for Incendiary


It took every inch of self-restraint in Roy to keep himself from lashing out the second General Moore laid his eyes on Edward. Roy didn't even know why the sudden urge to punch the older man in the face burst inside of his mind so strongly when he hadn't even said anything to Edward yet, but it was there, flashing in his mind like the open sign hanging in a bar window. Sure, he despised Moore and often thought about what it might feel like to set the edges of the man's jacket on fire, but never had such an intrusive and violent urge come over him concerning the General.

But my God, did Roy want to sock that asshole right in the jaw for merely looking at Edward.

In the few seconds that Moore, a rather tall and imposing man, glared down at the young alchemist, Roy knew exactly what was going on in the other man's mind. To Moore, Edward was just a tool that he could use. That was how he viewed State Alchemists; they were human weapons to be used, dogs to heel and attack when ordered. As he assessed the Fullmetal Alchemist, Moore was trying to figure out a way to use Edward, not only for his own schemes down here but also against Roy.

The first thing he'd try to do was separate them, but Roy was not about to let that happen under any circumstances. He would go around Moore and send Edward and Alphonse back to Central before allowing that to happen. The second thing would be to put a wedge in between the two alchemists and try to them against one another. Fat chance of that happening the way Moore would like. Roy and Edward already had an antagonizing and difficult relationship. They fought with each other as if the wedge was already in place.

Roy understood that was what Edward needed though. He struggled against anyone, most definitely authority figures, because he needed to be strong enough on his own. Edward would rather die than look like he needed help, even when he did truly need it. Whether he knew it or not now, he needed Roy's help or he would forcibly have his eyes opened to the true horrors of being a State Alchemist.

"It took you long enough to get here, Mustang," Moore said, finally turning his attention on Roy. The jab didn't phase him in the slightest. Moore could insult him seven ways to Sunday, and it wouldn't bother him. "You were ordered to be here three days ago."

"We had to wait for Fullmetal to return to Eastern, as the orders also stated to come here all at once," Roy pointed out in a cool tone. Moore twisted his mouth at that, ready to argue despite the pointlessness, as he refused to agree with anything Roy said, but Roy didn't let him start. "He was finishing a mission that I sent him on. I don't like to keep the subordinates under my command to sit idly and do nothing."

"So you send him alone far from HQ without any supervision?" Moore countered, no doubt feeling irritated at having been called out. One of the reasons he'd ordered Edward to accompany them for this mission was because he believed that Roy was wasting Edward's abilities and not using him for the greater good of the military. To have the very opposite thing being rubbed in his face was a humiliating affront that only he, Roy, and Riza knew.

Roy smiled thinly. "I've found that he produces the best results on his own and I use all my subordinates in ways that play to their strengths." He glanced down at Edward, who had his arms folded across his chest and was openly scowling. He hated being talked about like he wasn't standing right next to them. Only Riza putting a hand on his shoulder was probably keeping him from exploding. Oh, General Moore was not going to have an easy time trying to manipulate him. "But we didn't come all the way to South City to talk about my leadership skills. We can settle into our living arrangements later. I'd like to get down to business."

Just as Roy expected and Colonel Branson hinted at earlier, Moore's plan was incendiary at best and horrifying at worst. Though never said outright, if the plan was followed to a t, it would end with the mass murder of innocent civilians just in order to decimate the hiding insurgent group. And that end only brought about one beginning: war. The Amestris military was large and although casualties had been suffered during the Ishval War, they hadn't been high and there always seemed to be more fodder for for the military. When one soldier died, two more filled his place, pumped up with the grand ideals that the government flooded the people with.

Roy had been one of those people, hadn't he? And he'd infected Riza with his dreams as well. He glanced back at Riza for a second, who had managed to remain impassive during the entire mission debriefing. Look where that had gotten the both of them.

Taking a deep breath, Roy prepared to assault Moore's plan and pick it apart with as much delicacy as he could muster. He hated being like this with Moore, but this was a sticky situation. Whatever plan they came up with, it would be Roy's job to lead it and make sure everyone followed through. He had to make sure that the plan pleased Moore's appetite for retribution, the South's desire to avoid war, and Roy's need to keep violence to a minimum, all the while making sure to protect his team, especially Edward and Alphonse. The current plan violated all these things. This was going to be a mess indeed.

"That plan is a disaster!" Edward exclaimed, somehow managing to look both incredulous and furious. Roy nearly choked on his breath and clamped his mouth shut as he jerked his eyes to Edward. Even Riza looked taken aback by the boy's sudden outburst, eyes wider than before and eyebrows slightly raised. To the side, Colonel Branson cringed and Alphonse shifted uncomfortably.

Edward, of course, didn't notice anything wrong at all.

General Moore glared down at him. "Excuse me, Major?"

"My name is Edward, not Major." Edward's tone was so dismissive that Roy couldn't even manage to glower at him. It was the kind of tone that Roy himself dreamed of using on Moore, but never dared, because he knew that he'd not only get written up but would suffer massive consequences. Edward didn't give two shits though. They could demote him or cut his salary in half for all he cared; he knew that they would never allow him to leave the military, not with his gift, just as Roy knew the same thing. "Maybe you didn't hear me right the first time: I said that this plan is a disaster. Not only that, it's dangerous, poorly thought out, insanely overkill, and idiotic."

Roy closed his eyes and tried not to let panic, rage, and stress overwhelm him all at once. The urge to drag his nails down his face and groan out loud was almost too much to ignore. Sure, Edward was saying everything that was on Roy's mind, but not in the right way. This needed to be handled with extreme delicacy and caution, neither of which Edward was capable of. This was why he had wanted Edward to go with the rest of the team, but Moore had insisted on Edward joining them on the debriefing.

This plan was a disaster? This whole thing was a disaster!

"Poorly thought out and idiotic?" Moore demanded, his face turning the same bright red that usually only Roy was capable of bringing out. "I created this strategic plan."

"Yeah, well," Edward responded, waving his automail hand about and looking down at the papers on the table again. He didn't finish this sentence, but he didn't need to. The implication hung thick in the air, ringing in everyone's ears. Roy didn't know whether he wanted to smack Edward upside the back of his head or pat him on the back, but now he was stuck doing even more damage control.

Opening his eyes, Roy did his very best to remain calm. "Eloquent as ever, Fullmetal," he said dryly. Edward didn't move to look back at him as he leafed through the papers detailing Moore's bloody plan of attack, but his shoulders tensed for a second and he clenched his hands into fists on top of the table. "What I'm sure he's trying to say is that it seems like this plan was drawn on the fly. We can work with the skeleton of it, but there are some points that need to be fleshed out more, some necessary alterations, and some cut out altogether."

"I'm saying it sucks," Edward muttered under his breath. Luckily, only Roy managed to catch that last part, so he decided to ignore it for now and pretend he hadn't heard anything.

"Are you suggesting we waste more time with planning?" Moore questioned. "While those savages roam free to carry out another fatal attack against our people?"

"It's not a waste if we create a better plan, one that doesn't involve many needless Amestrian and Auregon deaths," Roy countered coolly. Although Edward appeared focused on the papers, Roy thought that Edward was paying more attention to the conversation than he seemed. He noticed how still Edward had become and that boy was never still. "Not counting that last attack, the Aurego insurgents have done us the same courtesy."

Moore scoffed. "You call blowing up buildings a courtesy?"

Roy shrugged his shoulders. "We did the same in Ishval, did we not? Except we didn't check to see if check to see if the buildings were empty first like they have." At that comment, Edward dropped the papers in his hands and shifted slightly. Now it was obvious that he was listening. Having been so young and wrapped up in the loss of his mother and his alchemy training, he knew little about the Ishval War. Roy hoped to keep it that way. "There has to be a way that we can flush out these fugitives without so much bloodshed. I'm sure Colonel Branson and the rest of South HQ would agree with me on this matter. They're close to war already as it is. We don't need to tip the scale."

Branson jumped in quickly, seeing where Roy was going. "Things are volatile here in the South, but we've managed to create something resembling peace despite tensions with Aurego. I think it would be wise to strengthen that bond instead of shattering it."

Casting a sideways glance at Branson, Roy assessed the man. He appeared earnest in his desire to avoid war and anything that might point in that direction, but he also hadn't said anything outright against the plan either. He toed the line very carefully. Just because the man didn't agree with the decision didn't mean he wouldn't follow through with orders once given them. If Moore overrode Roy here and commanded Branson to start with this plan post-haste, Roy believed that Branson would, despite any reservations. He was an excellent soldier, maybe even a good man, but even men like that could do awful things.

Roy, Riza, and even Hughes all had the same blood on their hands as men like Kimblee and Moore.

"What do you suggest then?" Moore asked. The man was a bastard and an idiot, but even he could see when he was outnumbered and knew when to change direction.

"We need to flush them out, get them in the open, not push them into a corner where they're more likely to attack," Roy pointed out. He stepped up next to Edward and rifled through the papers until he found one that carried the intel that he was interested in. Branson's comments earlier were still in his head. "There has been no indication that these insurgents have their own stash of weapons; they deal with arms dealers instead, men and women that have already been identified and tracked in this area by Colonel Branson and his men. We cut their suppliers out of the picture; they're going to be on the market again. They'll have to come out of hiding."

Moore folded his arms across his chest, a frown on his face as he furrowed his brow. "And then what?"

Roy held out his hands. "And then we supply them with the demand."

"Are you suggesting we give our enemy weapons to use against us?" Moore asked incredulously.

"In a sense," Roy said, not caring that Moore was looking at him like he was mad. "There will be a lot more details involved and it'll be more complicated, but the gist is simple. We cut off their supply of weapons, creating a gaping and desperate demand. We become their new suppliers. It's not hard to imagine a group of military individuals, former or current, disillusioned by the government, especially after the Ishval War." Not hard at all really. He could almost laugh, but kept a straight face on. "Obviously the entire group won't show up to a buy, but we can put trackers on some of the weapons and their crates, enabling us to follow them back to their base."

Edward was now paying complete attention to him, looking at him strangely. In a way, Roy thought Edward was looking at him like he'd never seen Roy before. This was a side of himself that he'd like to have kept hidden from Edward, but there was little to no choice now. He'd just have to harp on the kid and be extra flippant later. Maybe he'd flirt with some of the female soldiers. That would throw Edward off and turn him into a blushing aggravated shit. It'd make him forget for at least a little while.

"We bring them out into the light and then follow them back into the dark," Branson murmured, a hand on his chin as he thought about Roy's brief plan.

"It makes more sense than going after the families of suspected terrorists," Roy pointed out.

"Also more humane and not so callous," Edward added, a hint of venom in his voice. No doubt that was the part of Moore's plan that set him off the most. Indeed, it was the part that had Roy gritting his teeth. Involving innocent men, women, and children and putting their lives in danger, even ending them, all on whims and whispers? Some of this intel was sketchy and uncorroborated. Roy did not act out on information that could be faulty, not anymore. Edward gave Roy a shrewd look. "I can't believe you of all people came up with something so reasonable."

Roy smiled sharply at him, but decided not to respond. The lack of verbal response or anger caused Edward to huff in irritation and look away again. Behind him, he felt rather than heard Riza sigh quietly. She was watching all of this as silently as Moore's own adjutant, First Lieutenant Connors, and Branson's adjutant, a short brunette woman named First Lieutenant Rivers. The invite to the mission debriefing hadn't been extended to them, but it was a given that all of them would be joining in order to take notes among other things. Roy was grateful for Riza's stalworthy presence; it was comforting. She would have his back in this at least if no one else did.

"We'll talk about this more in depth later at eighteen hundred hours sharp. Dismissed." Moore pointed to the door. Everyone in the room made a slight bow and then saluted, although Edward's was half-assed at best. Roy would have to correct him later, even if he didn't give a damn about Edward not respecting Moore. Edward left the room first, practically running, most likely to get back to Alphonse. Once everyone was out of the room except for Roy, Moore called out, "And Mustang?"

Roy turned back around. Riza halted in front of him. "Sir?"

"You better get that mutt of yours on a leash," Moore told him, "or he will be taken away from you."

Not able to say anything in return that wouldn't get himself court-martialed, Roy was stuck with merely looking back at Moore blankly before turning on his heels. He shut the door with a little more force than was necessary and started down the hallway. Riza followed him from behind, saying nothing, but surely was able to read the fury emanating from his body.

Mutt? Edward was one of the most gifted alchemists in Amestris alongside Roy. With a flick of his fingers, he would have been able to turn that asshole into ashes. He wouldn't even be recognizable as a human after Roy was done with him. And he called them mutts? Even worse, Moore dared to threaten to take Edward away from him? Roy was the one that found Edward in the first place; he was the one to accompany Edward to his State Alchemist exam. There was no way in hell that Roy would allow that. Edward was his subordinate. He would fail under any other commanding officer. They wouldn't know what to do with him, how to handle him, how to take care of him. It was utterly ridiculous and insulting that Moore would even suggest a thing.

"You can't let him get to you," Riza said, finally breaking the silence if not the tension.

"Fullmetal was right," Roy grumbled as they continued to walk. "That man is an idiot - a dangerous one at that. How the hell did he get so much power?"

"You know why. His plan points out as much. He's willing to be brutal and do whatever necessary in order to produce results." Riza's voice was cool, like a slow-running creek in the woods, and utterly patient. It brought him back down, reminding him to take a breath. He could feel the anger flowing out of him. "That's what the military needs. He pushes people into doing horrific things out of a sense of duty and honor, people like Branson, people like you and me."

She never shied about who she was and what she did. She never lied or tried to sugarcoat things. She never had, not even when they were kids. She was honest to a fault, if nothing else. He both loved and sometimes even hated that about her. She never could let him down easy. Even when she was so understanding, she was never quite forgiving. It reminded him of when explained to her why he was leaving to join the military. She understood him and believed in his decision, saying that was probably for the best, but her acceptance seemed to come with a strange guilt that he could never wash away.

That more than anything always managed to keep him in check when he thought he might spiral.

"You handled things well, despite Edward's outburst," Riza told him, a very faint smile on her face.

Roy ran his fingers through his hair. Damn that kid for making things so difficult all the time. "My plan isn't any less dangerous though. We're putting ourselves right in the fire."

This time, the smile was prominent on her face. "Isn't that what you're known for, sir?"

Roy couldn't help himself. He laughed. "Well, Lieutenant, it appears as if you're right. I am known for fire and this place looks ready to go up in flames at any second."

"You'll have to put them out this time, however," Riza pointed out. Although her words were serious, her tone was teasing. She loved puns more than anyone that Roy knew, even if no one else knew that about her. "A little more difficult than blowing things up, I'm afraid."

"I've got to learn how to do that at some point," Roy said. Yes, putting out fire a lot more difficult than creating it, both literally and figuratively. Already the sparks were there at every turn. Moore was the flint ready to use Roy to create the fire; he didn't know if Branson would be brush to help it burn or water to douse the flames; and he was afraid more than anything that Edward and Alphonse would be collateral that got burned in the way.

No, his team could handle it. They'd handled everything else thrown at them so far. They could do this. Roy tried not to grit his teeth again. They had to. There was no other option.