Chapter forty-nine

Ed watched as Daddy knocked on the door. Al was wearing his bow tie again and Ed was in his suit because Ed liked his suit. Daddy was wearing a silvery grey pair of suit trousers and a matching vest over one of his white shirts and Auntie Riza was wearing a cream-coloured dress that reached her knees and looked very pretty on her. She also had her hair down, making her look very different and yet the same as she did when she was wearing her uniform. Al was carrying the gift they had bought at the toy shop, a large water gun. They had spent a lot of time to decide, but water guns were always fun, weren't they? Auntie Riza certainly thought it was a nice gift and Ed really didn't want to go buying girly presents for Elicia.

Nor did Daddy.

The door was opened and Uncle Maes was grinning at them, Elicia standing in front of him, a big smile on her face. She looked up at Daddy, grinning. "Uncle Roy!" She then turned to Ed and Al. "Big brothers!"

Ed just waved, still not really seeing her as his little sister. When she was the daughter of his uncle, that would make her his cousin, right?

Al, on the other hand, chuckled and handed her the present with a "happy birthday, Elicia!"

Al was soon walking off into the house with Elicia and Auntie Riza, while Ed stayed close to Daddy and Uncle Maes. Ed still didn't like strangers and there were lots of them in the living room. And they were being loud and that made Ed uncomfortable. Birthdays back in Resembool were never this loud. They had always just been Ed and Al and Mom and Winry and Granny and Uncle and Auntie Rockbell.

"That is a very nice suit you got there, Ed," Uncle Maes said kindly as they stood in the hallway. "Did you pick it yourself?"

Ed nodded. "Yes. Me and Daddy bought it for the military ball."

"Well, you look really stylish!" Uncle Maes said, smiling widely, looking at Ed with his "how adorable!" look. "Can Uncle Maes take a picture?"

Ed looked up at Daddy who sighed before he turned his attention back to Uncle Maes again. "Only if Daddy is in it too," Ed decided. It was always easier to smile for the camera if Daddy was there too. Al and Daddy together with him made Ed smile no matter what, but Elicia was already in the living room showing Al her presents.

"Of course! And we need to get some pictures of you three kids together too and maybe a group photo before you leave!" Uncle Maes looked really happy and had his camera in his hand in a flash. "Come on, Roy!"

And so Daddy got down on his right knee next to him and placed Ed on his left leg like it was a chair before he gently placed his left arm around Ed's shoulders. Ed grinned and leaned into his shoulder, looking up at Uncle Maes just as the man took the picture. Ed then turned towards his Daddy and hugged him tightly, hearing the camera click a few more times.

Daddy hugged him back and kissed the top of his head in the way that Daddy did. It was different from how Mom used to do it, she was always so gentle and kind and would gently press her lips against his head. Daddy's were always bursting with love it seemed, so he would press his nose and chin against his head as well.

A few seconds later, Daddy gently put Ed back down on the ground and stood back up, gently ruffling Ed's hair. Daddy had talked to him earlier today that maybe they should go to the hairdresser to cut it because it was getting a bit long, but Ed had said no. Ed wanted to grow his hair out. He had seen the pictures of the old Ed and he liked the plait. It looked cool and Ed wanted one too. Daddy had looked a bit funny at that, as if he both wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but after a few seconds, he had ruffled his hair and smiled, saying "I bet you'll look great with it."

And so Ed took Daddy's outstretched hand in his right and they walked behind Uncle Maes and into the living room. Ed's eyes widened at the number of people, there were about fifteen adults and Ed couldn't even count all the children, mainly because they kept running about. Ed noticed immediately that he was the only kid wearing a suit. That didn't matter, though. Ed was dressed in his nice clothes because that was what you did in someone's birthday party.

Suddenly a woman walked forwards, smiling. Ed had never met her before. She was in her thirties, wearing a light pink dress and she had red curls going down to her shoulders. She held a glass of lemonade in her hand and she looked at Ed the same way that Uncle Maes did right before he took a picture. "Hello, Sweetheart! My, you look like a perfect little gentleman!" She leaned down, smiling brightly. "What's your name?"

"Edward."

"Well, Ed, I'm Shirley and me and the other kids would love to get to know you better! Why don't you join us and you can make some new friends!" She then put a hand on his shoulder and led him towards the other corner of the room, although Daddy was following them closely. Ed couldn't see Elicia or Alphonse, so he guessed she was showing him her new doll like she said she would before they left. Uncle Maes had disappeared into the kitchen.

Shirley smiled even brighter than before. "Edward, can you show me how old you are?"

Ed looked up at her, sure that she was mocking him. It seemed that she wasn't because she was looking at his hand in order to give him a hint. She must have been thinking that he was younger than he was.

Well, Ed was going to show her how old he was.

He took a piece of chalk out of his inner pocket and sat down on the floor before he began drawing a transmutation circle on the floor.

"Nononono, Ed! You do not draw on the floor!" Shirley said, but Ed didn't pay any attention to her. He could hear Daddy holding her back. "Just watch," Daddy said.

Once Ed was done drawing the transmutation circle, he pressed his hands to it, activating it, causing a few of the guests around him to scream as the alchemic energy began crackling around him. Soon enough, though, Ed was sitting in front of a forty centimetre tall wooden number five and looked up at Shirley with crossed arms. "There."

Ed could see Daddy smirking beside her while she was staring at the finished product with her mouth hanging open.

Then some of the adults started clapping while a flock of kids ran over to him and Ed was getting uncomfortable with all the kids asking him if he was a wizard. "I'm an alchemist," he explained.

One of the kids poked him with their finger and said "you're it!" before he and everyone else ran off, leaving Ed confused and pretty sure he wouldn't like this party.