Sorry that the chapter's a bit short, it just seemed like a very good place to end it.
And I thought I should just clarify if people are confused by my use of "Ishbal" instead of "Ishval": I was introduced to FMA via the manga, where it's Ishbal, so it just feels the most natural to me.
And once again, people, thank you so much for your response to this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.
Chapter twenty-one
Roy and Ed passed the time with Roy teaching him a few new transmutations. Ed was obviously a quick learner, and if Roy hadn't seen it, then he wouldn't have believed that it would have been possible for such a young child to be such an accomplished alchemist already. It was an odd thing for Roy to do, he hadn't taught anyone before. Still, it was nice, sitting here, Ed on his lap, smiling widely at Roy's impressed and happy face.
Roy just couldn't help but notice that Ed was drawing all his transmutation circles with his right hand, without feeling a pang of regret. He remembered teasing Fullmetal about his awful handwriting the first year after he joined up, but the automail clearly didn't allow him to write with his dominant hand. The fact that he hadn't even considered it made a lump of guilt form in his stomach.
He put his arms tighter around Ed and hugged him for what had to be at least the thirtieth time in the last two hours. Ed just leaned back against his chest and grabbed his left arm, hugging it back and making a few happy grunts.
Roy thought that Ed was getting sleepy because that was usually when he began grunting. Roy could understand why, the boy had lost more than half his usual amount of sleep that night. "Ed, do you want to go to bed?"
"No, scared." Ed hugged himself closer to Roy.
Roy just kissed the top of his head, knowing him well enough to know that he would probably be asleep within the next hour. Roy was naturally going to go back to bed in that case. It was only six in the morning and he wasn't leaving Ed to wake up on his own. Roy had barely slept himself because of what Tucker had shouted at him and he'd been dreaming mostly about Ishbal.
He heard a door opening upstairs and figured that Hawkeye had woken up by now. The way she walked suggested that the stairs were afraid of creaking under her feet. At least, that is what it sounded like.
She came into the kitchen, slightly surprised at finding Roy there together with Ed. The latter was turning towards her. "Morning, Auntie Riza!"
"Good morning, Ed." Hawkeye tied her light blue dressing gown tighter about her, completely covering her pyjamas sweater, only leaving a pair of checkered trouser legs and white slippers visible. Roy became aware that he was sitting there in only his pyjamas bottoms and probably looked a bit odd. Not to speak of the fact that Roy's eyes had to be rather red from lack of sleep. "Good morning, Lieutenant. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you, sir." Roy didn't have to tell her that Ed had had a nightmare, it was fairly obvious from the way they looked.
"Daddy taught me some new transmutations, you wanna see?" Ed said excitedly.
Hawkeye smiled and sat down at the table. "Of course, Ed, I'd love to see."
And so Ed drew a transmutation circle onto the wooden table, transmuting parts of it into a single piece of paper that folded itself into a swan.
Roy smiled, as did Hawkeye. "That was very impressive, Ed. Did your Daddy teach you that tonight?"
Ed nodded eagerly before he drew a new transmutation circle and placed the swan inside it before he activated it and returned the table to normal. Ed turned his head to Roy expectantly and Roy smiled at him widely. Roy knew that this must remind Ed rather a lot about his mother. Al had told him about how they got into alchemy mostly to see her smile.
Roy hugged him. "You really are talented, Ed."
Ed grinned and Roy tousled his hair.
"Should I prepare some breakfast, sir?" Hawkeye asked.
Roy was hungry, but he was mostly sleepy. "What do you think, Ed?"
"I'm hungry," Ed said with a yawn, not exactly giving a very clear answer as he leaned his head against Roy's chest and closed his eyes. After about a minute, Ed began snoring gently and Roy looked over at his Lieutenant. "Looks like it's back to bed instead. We've been up since one, so how about we say that we'll leave at twelve o'clock?"
"Very well, sir. I'll call the hotel to let them know that we'll be late."
"Thank you, Hawkeye."
Roy stood up, carrying the sleeping boy in his arms and was soon lying down on the bed with the little body curled up on his chest. It only took him a few seconds after that to fall asleep.
Ed woke up on Daddy's chest. He had woken up because Daddy was moaning in his sleep, his heart beating fast under Ed's right ear. Daddy was holding Ed tightly. "No! You can't take them! Don't!" Daddy was obviously having a nightmare. "Please!"
Ed slid his hand up to Daddy's right cheek, stroking it. "Daddy, it's alright. It's just a nightmare. Please wake up."
Daddy didn't respond. Ed figured he should employ a different set of tactics and just hope that the results were positive. Daddy was obviously distressed and Ed didn't like it. Ed took his free left hand and stretched it over Daddy's arm before he began tickling his right side. Daddy began making sniffing noises, obviously reacting, and Ed tickled him more. Suddenly Daddy sort of buckled and woke with a high-pitched giggle.
"Wha-wha?!" He said, confused. Ed had stopped tickling him the moment he woke up.
"You were having a nightmare, so I tickled you awake," Ed said, smiling, pleased with his result.
"You tickled me?"
"Yes! Just like this!" Ed tickled his side again, instantly making Daddy snigger while twisting his legs.
Daddy grabbed Ed's arms in order to stop him. "Please, don't do that," he said, still smiling with some panic in his eyes.
"Daddy, you're really ticklish!" Ed laughed.
"Well, so are you!" Daddy said, a mischievous grin forming on his face. The next second he had pulled Ed's pyjama top over his head and thrown it on the floor before he lifted Ed down on the mattress beside him and leaned over him, tickling his sides. Ed giggled. Although he was slightly frightened, it was funny. "Here's the Ticklemonster!" Daddy announced, grinning. Ed squealed with frightened delight and began twisting and turning as he laughed.
Daddy could see when it was enough and stopped, pulling Ed in for a hug instead. Ed hugged him back, smiling widely.
Daddy sighed. "I guess it's time to wake up then."
"Do we have to?" Ed moaned, digging his face into his warm chest.
"Afraid so, Ed. Remember, Al and Nina are already waiting at HQ."
"Fine."
And so Daddy lifted him up and carried him into the bathroom and soon Ed was sitting in the tub, foam growing quickly around him. Ed looked up at his smiling face and put his wet hands on his cheeks. "Daddy? What was your nightmare about?"
"It's not important."
"Daddy, you always tell me that it helps to talk about your nightmares, so tell me."
Daddy looked at him for a few seconds and sighed. "I dreamt that I was back in Ishbal and that the people I killed tried to take you and Al away from me. They said that I was a monster and that I didn't deserve you."
Ed looked up at him sternly before he pulled his head down and kissed his forehead and hugged him. "Daddy, the only monster that you are is the Ticklemonster. You're good and kind and the best Daddy in the world and whatever some people say that you deserve or not doesn't matter. You love me and Al and we love you back and that's final. If anyone tells you that you're bad, then they're just stupid."
Daddy kissed Ed's cheek and hugged him back. "You know, Ed, you and Al are a couple of miracles."
Ed felt warmth spread through his chest, Mom had told him that too. "I love you Daddy."
"I love you too, Ed."
They sat there like that for a while. Ed felt really, really happy. He had made the perfect choice with making Roy Mustang his Daddy, he was completely certain of that now.
Yet Ed had a little thought that struck him. If Daddy was the Ticklemonster, then Ed was Ticklemonster Jr.
…Which meant that Daddy's left side was only a few centimetres away from his right hand. And so Ed slowly began wriggling the fingers of his right hand and the result was spectacular. Daddy jerked backwards and pulled Ed out of the tub and they landed on the floor, Ed now tickling him with both hands, chanting "Ticklemonster Jr.! Ticklemonster Jr.!" as Daddy wheezed with laughter.
Ed knew when to stop, however, and let Daddy get a chance to breathe. He just threw himself down on his chest, hugging him tightly. A few seconds later, a familiar set of strong arms hugged him back, now laughing because of something else.
"Ed, you really should be careful, but you truly are Ticklemonster Jr."
"I know, Daddy."
"Now let's get you back into the tub." And so he lifted him up by his armpits and put him back so that many tiny foam bubbles burst all around him and Jimmy-Charlie crashed against his side. Daddy was full of foam now.
Ed filled Jimmy-Charlie with water and began shooting water at Daddy to get the foam off. Ed laughed along with Daddy as he tried to grip the rubber ducky but Ed was too quick for him. Ed liked how Daddy always made the morning baths fun, although Auntie Riza always ordered him to clean the bathroom properly afterwards because they always got foam and soapy water everywhere. Ed could even have sworn that the first time since she started sharing the same bathroom, she had stepped inside and muttered "boys" once she saw the walls.
Roy smiled. He was wet all over, especially after the "Ticklemonster Jr." thing. That part actually filled him with joy because it was one of those funny little things that reminded him that he really had become a father. He was, however, slightly scared that Ed would use his newfound weakness. He was going to be absolutely mortified if word got around at HQ that Colonel Roy Mustang, future Führer of Amestris, was ticklish.
