So, this fic takes place within the same universe as Struggling to Breathe, but if you haven't read that one, there are just a few things you need to know:

1) Ed and Al see Roy as their father and calls him Dad.

2) This is an AU where Ed stayed in the military after the Promised Day.

3) Ed had to fake his death at one time, so he received the rank of Colonel "post"humously and Ed helped stop a corrupt group within the military that were out to stop Roy from restoring Ishbal. So when Ed was revealed to actually be alive, Führer Grumman didn't demote him back to Major.

4) Also, to fake Ed's death, they kind of shaved him bald to use his hair to make a doll. It has grown out by now as it's eight years later.

I'll write them up if there will be any other facts that you guys need to know before reading the chapters.

I don't want to have to write a disclaimer for every chapter, so I'm just saying it now: I do not own FMA.

And there will be some swearing and maybe some violence because it's me, but I'm not sure yet.

And also, I can't give a clear estimate of my updating schedule as I currently have six active stories, three of which I have a writer's block on. That means that I write when I feel like, so I may start out producing like ten chapters in a week and then update once a week, it really depends on my muse.

And so, people, I really hope you'll enjoy this story of mine!

Prologue

Roy sighed to himself where he sat behind his desk. Alphonse had just sent him a postcard of himself and May Chang smiling together. Al was a grown man by now, twenty-three years old. May was soon twenty and they were clearly happy, judging by the picture and the many reports Al had given him about his studies in Xing. Al had been gone for two years now and Roy missed him, but he couldn't blame him for wanting to be with his girlfriend. Roy really wasn't surprised that Al had chosen to combine his interest in medicine with alkahestry and he was currently working on a thesis for his PhD, so it only made sense for him to be staying in Xing. Roy was of course worried about him, but he kept reminding himself that Alphonse was staying with the emperor himself, so he was at least living in the safest building in the whole of the Xingese empire.

The picture did raise a question, though. Just when was he going to pop the question? Al was clearly head-over-heals in love with her and May even more so with him. He just wondered whether he would ask for guidance from Roy like his brother had.

"Okay, Dad, don't laugh, but I need your help." Ed was looking scared beyond belief, just eighteen years old and just having got off the train arriving from Resembool. He was blushing and smiling and looking horror-struck all at the same time.

"What's wrong, Ed?" Roy asked as Ed sat himself inside the car beside him, having put his suitcase inside the backseat. He had only been in Resembool for a week after all, how much could have gone wrong now that Ed didn't have his alchemy?

"I asked her." Ed was looking mortified and said it in barely more than a whisper.

"Asked who what?" Roy was honestly confused.

"Who do you think?! I asked her! I just did it without thinking and she said yes!" Ed was looking at him pleadingly.

"Are you talking about Winry?"

"Of course I'm talking about Winry!" Ed looked at him a bit angrily as if he was a bit insulted that he was suggesting that it might be someone else. "And she said yes! What do I do? I just said it and I'm even looking forward to it, but still!"

"So you finally asked her on a date. That's good for you," Roy said, smiling, tousling his hair which had finally grown back after that disaster two years ago.

"I asked her to marry me," Ed whispered, making himself as small as possible.

Roy froze.

"And she said yes?" Roy found himself asking, his hand still resting on Ed's head.

"Yes! I asked her for an equivalent exchange where I gave her half my life if she gave half of hers to me and now she's giving me eighty-five per cent of hers!"

"Why eighty-five?" Roy couldn't keep himself from asking.

"It's a good number!" Ed nearly shouted.

Roy slowly removed his hand from the golden locks. He looked at Ed who was still blushing furiously and looked both happy and terrified. "And you want to marry her?"

"Well … yeah?"

"Then there's no reason to panic."

"But I didn't even get her a ring! I just hugged her and left because the train was leaving! What the hell kind of proposal is that?!" Ed was gripping his hair in frustration. "I have one of the most notorious womanisers in all of Amestris for a Dad, and I didn't even give her a ring!"

"You know that that's not all I am, right?" Roy was honestly a bit amused by Ed, but he really hoped that Ed understood that he wasn't only about women.

"Of course I know! That's why I said notorious! It's part of your image! But you still know well enough to get down on one knee or something!"

"And what did you do?"

"I pointed my finger at her and shouted!"

Roy couldn't help but laugh. Of course that was the way Ed would face up to his feelings. He then sighed and pulled Ed in for a hug. "I guess this means that we're going to go find your fiancée a ring then. Congratulations, Ed."

Roy still smiled at the thought. He was pretty impressed by their willingness to get things done, because they were married six months later and had moved into a house in Central so that Ed could keep working under Roy and live near him. Ed had really just planned to keep his job in the military in order to get Al through his education, but two years later, when Al was nearing graduation, Ed came knocking on Roy's front door, soaking wet and not seeming to care one iota about it where he stood in the torrential rain. He looked absolutely shocked.

"What's wrong, Ed?" Roy asked as he ushered the twenty-year-old inside and helped him out of his soaked coat before finding him a towel to dry his hair. "You know you shouldn't be walking outside in this kind of weather!"

Roy went back to the boy and began drying his hair for him while trying to figure out just what was going on with him. Ed was pale and hardly seemed to be mentally present where he stood.

"Ed, are you sick or something?" Roy asked, putting a hand on his forehead.

"Winry told me to go here and tell you," Ed said, but he seemed to stop there, not sure of how he was supposed to finish that sentence.

"Have I done something wrong?" Roy knew about Winry's unusually strong right arm and unlimited supply of wrenches and couldn't help but shiver at the thought if he'd forgotten something. "The restaurant reservation is for tomorrow after all, so I haven't forgotten about it if she's worried about that."

"That's not it. You haven't done anything wrong."

"Then what is it?" Roy was gripping Ed's shoulders, looking at him, studying his features, trying to get his son to talk to him.

Then Ed began crying. Not much, just a tear running down his cheek. Roy dried it away with his hand, and Ed gripped it, suddenly looking straight at Roy, grinning. "I'm gonna be a dad."

Roy just looked at him.

Then Ed hugged him tightly. "You're gonna be a granddad."

It had ended with the two of them running through the streets of Central with a large bouquet of flowers that Roy had bought for Winry, both of them laughing their heads off.

Roy thought back to those nine months of frequently coming to visit Ed and Winry with her ever-growing stomach. Ed decided that with a family on the way, it really would be best if he kept working for the military in order to provide for his family.

Then came the birth of little Dexter. He looked very much like his father, he was even born with an antenna.

Only a year later came baby April. She was a beautiful little girl and Roy once again found himself to be the doting grandfather, spoiling the two of them either with hugs or with presents, finally understanding Maes, even if he didn't shove pictures into everyone's faces.

Now Dexter was three, nearing four and April was two.

And Roy was a grandfather before he had reached forty. It kind of made him feel both young and old at the same time. He had been a grandfather since the age of thirty-five. A father since the age of thirty.

He smiled to himself. He was thirty-eight, had two loving sons and two grandchildren and he loved them all to bits. He was happy with his life. He had returned their holy land back to the Ishbalans six years ago now, he had reached the rank of Major General last year and he got to see at least one of his sons on a nearly daily basis as Ed worked under him, a Brigadier General himself by now.

And tomorrow Roy would be going on a camping trip with Ed and Dexter and he was looking very much forward to it.

Yes, Roy Mustang was very happy with his life.