Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal alchemist.

TWELVE

It was wet and cold when both Ed and Roy waited to pick up the Elrics. Ed couldn't help but smile despite Roy's bitching about the weather. Yes the man certainly didn't like the rain but he didn't have to bore people's ears off with such talk about it.

He glanced back over and noticed that Roy had his coat on and covering his stomach. He knew he wasn't ashamed of the bump but at the same time, once people realized he wasn't just gaining weight from laziness, they all touched the curved bump and asked him question after question. It got to the point that he had to make Roy change before walking out with writing on his shirt once. On the front it said in big bold letters 'DON'T TOUCH THE STOMACH' and on the back it read, ' THE DUE DATE IS FOR THE BABY TO DECIDE, NOT YOU FUCKERS'.

Roy most certainly wasn't looking over here so Ed again regarded the small ring he had purchased recently. He hid it back in his pocket wondering when he would find such a good opportunity to surprise the man. Like he had told him when they visited Roy's foster mom, he was expecting a ring. If he took him to a restaurant it wouldn't be because that's what everybody did. Watching a sunset and proposing was just gay too. He didn't want Al and Winry to think the worst when they observed Roy but at the same time he knew the man was right. A marriage was just a certificate written on paper and had nothing to do with a person's love for another. It didn't stop him from wanting to marry the man though.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I SHUT IT FOR YOU!"

Ed shook in head in frustration. Somebody had riled Roy up again it looked like. Turning to the man in question, he glared as if to say, 'why are you causing such problems in public? Can't you behave yourself better.' The man glared back.

"HE WAS ASKING IF I HAD A BALL UNDERNEATH MY SHIRT!"

"Well Mustang, nice to see you but I would have thought I would never have heard the words ball and shirt be uttered by you."

They turned around and saw Alphonse in all his shining glory. Winry was behind him and it seemed even Aunty Pinako decided to come as well. He silently cursed seeing the old lady's amused grin. He did tell them he was going to discuss something important with them but he never thought they would take it this seriously.

"Roy is just being a baby isn't that right babes?" he teased watching Roy seethe quietly behind him.

"Ed I don't like what I heard and in front of Alex no less. What is this about a soccer ball underneath Mustang's shirt?"

Before Ed could answer Roy did for him. "Just what I said, although people think touching it makes them feel better about mistaking it for my laziness all the time. I swear I should have that shirt on but seeing as how Ed," at this he pointedly glared at the one in question. "Ed I told you I should wear it and then people don't question it so often."

"They will anyways and besides I don't think people want to know that babies come when they feel like it and then insult them by calling them fuckers." He paused noticing Alex had his ears shielded from this talk.

He happily took Alex in his arms seeing as how the boy was excited to see him.

"Ball unca Roy?"

Ed laughed at Roy's dissatisfaction. How the man was going to get out of this was another story. He sighed when he remembered the reason they were standing here instead of the doctor's appointment for Roy's twenty week routine visit. They woke up too late and instead of going, Roy pointedly chose to reschedule before ordering Ed to give him a blow job. Mad that the man had the audacity to miss it, made him refuse. Let the horny man suffer was his thought.

They didn't have to ponder it much after all they couldn't be late to pick up his family members.

"No not a ball," Roy corrected.

He was about to help haul the luggage for them before Ed jerked him back and gave him a pointed glare. He needed to listen to the doctor once in a while Ed thought warily. He already hid the gloves underneath the mattress so that the man wouldn't torch anyone he felt like anymore. At work, he was burning holes in people with his look alone so there was no saying what he would do with his alchemy.

"Let Mustang help with the luggage Ed! He's a man right?" Instead, Ed handed Alex off to Roy before hoisting the luggage up his self.

"Come on, the car's this way," Ed told them before painfully reconsidering having the other man doing it. He quickly wiped that idea away seeing as how he didn't want the baby to be miscarried.

Alex seemed to be determined to find the ball. He was trying to get past Roy's coat to find it even but settled on touching the outside layer of the bulge and yelped excitedly when there was a tiny kick felt where his hand was.

"Unca Ed, it moved!"

Ed smiled.

"Of course you're happy you son of a (Winry: "MUSTANG!" ) Bitch! I'm the one that needs to carry it."

"Oh come on unca Roy," Ed mimicked teasing the man. "Once we're at home you can eat. Jeeze, and all because you missed a doctor's appointment and didn't get what you wanted."

He paused long enough to board the luggage in the car before giving Alex back to Winry. Alex seemed put out and tried going back to the man, crying about wanting to 'touch' the ball again. Roy twitched and wasted no time to get into the front seat leaving the other Elrics to clamper in the back. Ed closed the back door before jumping into the front and starting the engine.

"I didn't know you were allowed to drive brother," Al commented from his place in the back.

Alex still seemed upset but Winry sighed and told him she'd get him a ball once they got to Mustang's house. Ed had told them over the phone that he was looking for a town house and that Mustang's apartment was just too small to accommodate them in the future. He hated when Ed didn't tell him something but ignored it for the time being. Supposedly the house hunting was still going but they did find a car. He didn't know how he felt about the son of a gung driving though he seemed to be doing better than Mustang did that one time then.

"You want Mustang to?" Ed defended and Al shut his mouth.

The rest of the way went by smoothly.

"DUMBASSES I TOLD YOU I TOOK THE DAY OFF!"

Winry covered Alex's ears hoping that Mustang would get off the phone soon. Ed had dropped them off saying that he had to get more food. He then eventually got Mustang to get out of the car too and told him to entertain them with the soccer ball. Mustang cursed for a good minute and Winry honestly thought that the man was finished until the phone rang.

"Okay, alright Hawkeye I did tell ya though Jeeze."

Winry shared a look with Al although her grandmother seemed to be enjoying the show. Leave it to granny Pinako to make something amusing out of pointless bickering. Al looked like he wanted to avoid the man's wrath at all cost and remembering that this guy made flames out of his alchemy, she was inclined to agree. Alex was trying to get to him again but she felt it was a better idea to leave the guy some room.

"No I hate sensitivity training. President Hakuro said that? I'm not going! Fine, fine I'll go but can I take your gun with? SO I CAN BLOW MY FUCKING BRAINS OUT WHAT ELSE! Fine, I'll refrain. Yes I'm sorry Hawkeye. I'll see you and the others tomorrow and report directly for sensitivity training per the President."

Finally he was off the phone and Winry was relieved. Her relief was short lived when he took off the jacket and she saw what the little ball Alex was talking about was. It wasn't really a ball anyways just a little smooth bump that jutted out from his stomach. If she had to guess, she would say he was lazy but remembered the confusing conversation from earlier. She decided not to assume anything and just sat back and waited.

"Sensitivity training Mustang? You must really be insensitive," Granny Pinako said amusedly.

"Backwards old bat."

He didn't wait to see the result of what he said to the older woman and instead made his way into the kitchen for the dairy product he drank daily. Seeing there was none, he groaned. He did however saw the remains of last night dinner and thought it through his head. He was so going to kill Ed. He took the last of the milk and used it for the fucking brownies.

Moaning, he went back to the living room and flopped down forward on the couch. He didn't say anything for several minutes and in that time, Alex was sitting beside his head, brushing his raven dark hair with a brush he found around the floor. Roy cringed at the way Alex did it though he didn't stop him. If anything, he turned around trying to see which brush he was using. He blanched.

"Uh, Alex. Give me that."

That was Ed's brush and he left it all over the place. He wasn't going to use it seeing as how once it even ended up in the toilet bowl. He snatched it out of Alex's reach but the boy was once again eyeing the man's stomach. He put his hand on it over his white button up shirt and felt the soft kicks once again. Roy was annoyed since the more irritated or mad he gotten the more the baby fluttered, kicked and jabbed. He let Alex continue to move his hand around though since it had calming effects on the little critter. Edward did the same thing to coax Roy back to sleep. He sighed and closed his eyes but widened in surprise when he felt a jab to his kidney. It wasn't often that the baby jabbed that part but when the unborn child did, he found his self in sudden need of such facilities. Groaning, he raced to the bathroom ignoring Alex's cries of feeling it again.

Ed was pleasantly surprised by Roy's anguish. It was really funny though. He didn't want the man to be unbearable all day so he quickly handed over the milk to which the man gratefully took. He then shoved the said man out of the kitchen so that he could put away groceries.

It was too much to ask for the man to get a week off of work but since he was going to be needing leave coming up and he needed to work as much as he could before being put on bed rest, Ed surmised that he could stand for a few sacrifices.

"Unca Ed it moved! It moved!"

Seeing the small two year old rubbing his hands all over underneath Roy's shirt, Ed hid his grin. The kid was too excitable when it came to Roy and seeing as how both Al and Winry disapproved of him, he was surprised they let Alex near him.

"Hey Ed, you uh, hid his gloves right?"

Ed laughed.

"Of course, can't have him messing up and getting us evacuated."

Al laughed with a sigh of relief when they returned to the living room. Al picked up Alex and Ed sat by Roy gently rubbing the bump much to the man's pleasure. Alex squirmed wanting to do the same but Al kept him away. Winry eyed them but since she didn't see under the shirt she was still curious. Finally she went close to them and surveyed the shirt.

"May I?"

She noticed Roy seemed mellow at the time being so Ed nodded for him. She placed her hand underneath the shirt, her eyes growing huge when she realized it wasn't a ball, it was Mustang's own flesh! Then of course was the light kick that she heard Alex going on and on about. Not saying anything, she moved her hand upwards on the curved smooth surface and then down, stopping before the midline. It was when she stopped that she felt a powerful kick. Even Mustang seemed uncomfortable by it since he groaned and switched positions quickly laying on his side with his head on Ed's lap.

"What is this?" Winry asked. "It's definitely not a soccer ball. It can't be-"

"It's a baby Win," Ed interrupted.

The Elrics and one Rockbell eyed him in shock. Al saw the swollen flesh his self and had harbored the suspicion but that was one thing. Ed finally said it aloud and that changed everything. Pinako was the only one that didn't seem bothered by it. In fact she sighed and sat back down in her seat.

"It's not bad you know. There was another male that got pregnant before and he wasn't even an alchemist. It was news for a while but the baby was a stillbirth at twenty nine weeks. Oh that broke the young guy up. He was looking forward to the little tyke. They even found out it was a boy."

Ed nodded.

"I heard. He's still alive but his baby died around five years ago. Me and Al were busy searching for the stone then. It was sad rally. Even though we didn't know what we did now, he was after the stone for his baby, because he wanted it back. But one thing I learned from transmuting mom is that you could never bring back the dead no matter what. The heartache is worse."

"Brother, then why-"

"This baby isn't going to die," Roy interrupted. Ed searched his face for any lie he possibly was concealing but found none. "This baby is stubborn and if anything its getting stronger every single day. I'm not stupid as to say it would never happen but it's my body and I'll do my best to hold the baby as close to full term as I can."

"Like a disposable incubator right Mustang?" Pinako didn't like that one bit. "You keep telling yourself that what you are doing is for the good of the baby. You're still going along nicely so you believe you have nothing to worry about. That man thought the same thing until he woke up to blood around him. You don't think it would happen as well but you can't promise that. Don't sacrifice your life for a kid that probably will die!"

Nobody said anything after that. In the midst of silence, Roy mused that she was wrong. The difference was that he knew what would happen and he would find out what it was that the other had done and prevent another death.

"Sir, you're supposed to be in sensitivity training in an hour, you think you could put that book away for even a minute to listen to me."

"Hawkeye, I don't think I could go," Roy whined.

In truth, he was reading up on complicated OBs and seeing what usually led to miscarriage. He grunted in annoyance when he realized from this forth on he'd have to say good bye to his sex life until the birth. He also should begin to cut back on sugars despite the cravings. Hawkeye seemed annoyed so he might also want to listen to her before he didn't live long enough to see this birth out. According to the book though, the man David Kilburn wasn't able to have another baby after that. His marriage suffered and the other man left him. He wasn't an alchemist but he still tried to transmute his baby hearing that it was possible. He obviously couldn't though. Placing the book down finally, he eyed Hawkeye and finally decided a way he could get away without going to the stupid training session.

"Hawkeye, I don't think I could go, not because I don't like it but what if I have the baby tomorrow-"

He was cut off when Hawkeye leant forward and shouted at him;

"DUMBASS BABIES AREN'T BORN JUST AFTER FIVE MONTHS!"

"This one could be, I swear you don't know how bad this is. Last night Ed and I were going to get it on-"

"Ewww, gross I'm not hearing this Mustang. I don't want to know what you and Ed get on in your own home!"

"-Then of course the baby kicks my bladder and before I know it, I rush into the bathroom and Ed's already turned off from that. The only thing I can conclude is that this brat wants all the attention. She even has those gross grandmas from the super market in giggles. She jabs me when I'm sleeping and even once I swear I couldn't breathe for a good minute or two when she jabbed me in the wrong spot once. I think it was the ribs. She learned her lesson too though because she didn't do it again-"

"DAMN IT MUSTANG, IF YOU'RE HAVING PREGNANCY PROBLEMS TAKE IT UP WITH EDWARD!"

Roy winced but continued as if she hadn't yelled at him.

"Come on Hawkeye I already have. He told me to suck it up, saying that the baby's running out of room to grow because I'm tinier than a toothpick. Just think, Winry told me that I don't look twenty weeks and five days because my belly isn't big enough. I'm eating though and not throwing up anymore. Doctor seemed worried though when Ed called and told him."

"MUSTANG FOR THE LAST TIME, I DON'T HAVE TIMES FOR YOUR TALKS ABOUT THE BABY!"

Roy massaged his aching ear while whining. Here the woman wasn't exactly pleasant but did she have to shout at him. Frowning, he reached for the phone seeing as how Hawkeye was too mad to deal with him at the moment. Pushy woman he thought. I'm no Hughes. She told him not to take up anything with her so he was going to be talking to Edward about it. She better not bitch about it though.

He sighed in disappointment when he didn't pick up. He knew telling the others was a bad idea but Ed had told him they deserved to know because he wasn't going to stop bitching anytime soon and the baby was still growing. Now though the others suddenly had tasks that needed to be complete and Hawkeye was moodier than when she was PMSing.

"Hawkeye, I'm sorry."

Hawkeye seemed to notice that his feelings were hurt no matter how much he tried to hide it. She felt horrible but she continued to ignore it. It wasn't as though he would notice what him being with child made her. He loved Edward even before then. She frowned. She shouldn't hurt his feelings for something she couldn't get over. She turned to him again and almost wished that she could be happy for once. It wasn't so though.

"Sir, I'm the one that should be sorry. Go to insensitive training."

He just nodded.

Great was it going to get anymore awkward here? Of course at the moment it was hard to tell. For now she concentrated on her work although her mind seemed to wander towards the prospect of seeing a baby made by the two worst possible people ever. She could only assume the baby was causing them trouble after hearing about the baby for nearly fifteen minutes. Of course she's causing trouble sir, she thought. She is a Mustang-Elric baby. I'd honestly be surprised if she didn't. With that last thought she went back to work on the documents before her.