The Ties that Bind

A series of related one-shots that range from Roy finding Ed and Al in Resembool and far, far beyond. Not chronological. EdWin, AlMei, Royai Parental!RoyEdAl Parental!RizaEdAl

Namesake

Older Brother 24, Younger Brother 23

Roy bounced his knee as he waited for news, his laced fingers resting beneath his nose as he stared straight ahead at the ficus on the other side of the waiting room. Riza wasn't with him—she'd joined Al in the delivery room to coach the way she'd done twice now for Winry—so it was just Roy for now since Ed, Winry, and the kids were still on their way up from Resembool. The should be arriving any minute, but according to the nurse who just stopped by, any minute could still be too late. Mei had only been laboring for about five hours, but the doctor had said it was time.

Thank Truth we left for the hospital when we did, Roy thought, raising his folded hands to press against his forehead. There was no way he could have handled another home-birth like Winry's first. Ed had been such a wreck, and Roy hadn't been much better. Even Riza, who Pinako asked to stand in as assistant midwife, had been uncharacteristically pale and and almost terrified. There was a moment before the door closed him and Ed away from the birthing room, as Riza took the seat by Winry's side and clutched the struggling girl's clammy hand, that Roy actually thought Riza might cry.

She never could stand seeing any of the kids in pain.

"Oi, Colonel!"

Roy jumped at Ed's sudden shout and spun to see the oldest Elric jogging down the hall with two-year-old Trisha braced against his shoulder.

"What's the news, old man?"

"Honestly, Ed!" Winry called from behind as she struggled to keep pace with her husband without resorting to dragging their four-year-old son across the floor. "You know better than to yell across the hospital. And stop running!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said, rolling his eyes even as he slowed to a pseudo power-walk. Roy stood as the young family drew closer and didn't hesitate to hold out his arms for little Trisha when she reached gleefully for him.

"Pop-pop!"

"Well hello there, beautiful girl!" Roy wriggled his fingers across Trisha's pudgy baby-belly and grinned as she writhed and giggled in his grip. "Have you been a good girl for mommy?"

"Good girl!" She chirped. "Good girl!"

Roy snuggled her to his chest and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "That's my girl!"

"Oi!" Ed protested, hands on his hips. "What are you calling yours? That's mine, you know? I made it and everything!"

Winry arrived then and popped Ed on the shoulder with the back of her hand. "Don't call my daughter 'that'."

"Pop-pop!" Thomas grinned up at Roy, looking more and more like his father every time Roy saw him. It was almost alarming and would be more so if the pleasant toddler had inherited more of his personality from his father and less from his uncle. He raised his arms to Roy, his golden eyes shy despite his wide grin. "Me too?"

"Of course!" Roy shifted Trisha to one arm and scooped Thomas up with the other. He blew a raspberry against the boy's cheek that had Thomas squealing and giggling as he pushed against Roy's neck and cheek to get away.

"Pop-pop, no! I good boy! Good boy!"

"Of course, you are!" Roy declared, striking as proud a pose as he could with a child braced in each arm. "You're mine, after all!"

"Made that one too!"

Winry popped him again, her face a brilliant red. "Honestly, Ed. Do you have to be so arrogant all the time?"

"Fine," Ed conceded, jerking a thumb in Winry's direction. "She helped."

Still blushing, Winry dropped her face into her hands and groaned. Roy chuckled, bouncing each kid once to settle them better in his arms.

"Nice to know not much has changed in the three month you've been gone," Roy said, then blew another quick raspberry against each toddler's cheek. They squealed in succession, Trisha dissolving into giggles immediately after, and Roy continued. "Mostly, anyway. What are you feeding these kids to make them grow so much? Ed never grew this fast!"

"Who are you calling a pigmy date palm, you jerk?"

Roy's eyebrow shot up. "Pigmy date palm?"

"We're experimenting with trees," Winry said. "He's annoyed because they're all dwarfs, but they're easier to take care of and do better in Resembool's climate."

"I…see?"

"Excuse me, General?" The night nurse said, and Roy whipped around expectantly. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to let you know that the delivery has ended and everything is fine. The infant is being washed and weighed, but you should be allowed in shortly."

Roy blew out a relieved breath before offering the pretty young woman a smile. "Thank you, Nurse Esther. I appreciate you letting us know."

Esther blushed prettily and ducked her head. "Oh, of course, General. It's my pleasure." She peeked up at the Elrics, a confused pucker forming between her brows. "Um, are these people with you as well?"

"Sorry," Winry said, stepping forward with her hand out. "My name is Winry Elric. That's my husband Ed. The General is his dad."

Ed and Roy sputtered at that, but they couldn't actively deny it with Thomas and Trisha right there. The kids were adamant that Roy was their "pop-pop," and Trisha especially grew extremely agitated at even a hint made to the contrary. Esther's eyes went wide as she looked between Ed and Roy, obviously trying to work out the math. Roy sighed and dropped his head to Thomas's shoulder, glancing at the nurse with one eye.

"He's adopted."

"But you still Pop-pop!" Trisha declared, glaring at him. Roy chuckled.

"Yes, Trisha, I'm still Pop-pop."

"So then…" Esther's bemused expression turned a bit green. "The other one too? The…the father?"

"Also adopted."

Esther looked like she might faint. "Oh…well. Um, I should get going, General. I have…rounds and…patients…"

She might as well have taken off at a frantic sprint with how quickly she disappeared down the hall. Roy sighed and nuzzled Thomas's neck with his scruff, making the boy giggle.

"Curses," he said, his tone more amused than annoyed. "Foiled again."

"Why would you be interested in a girl like that anyway. She's probably half your age."

Roy snorted. "She's only twenty-five, Fullmetal. Just how old do you think I am?"

Though considering she was only a year older than Winry…Roy cringed. Maybe it was a good thing his grown 'kids' scared her off.

"Hey Dad, Ed, Winry!" Al's excited voice reverberated down the hall and the group turned to spot him waving at them. He was dressed head to foot in pale green hospital scrubs with a cloth face mask dangling from his neck. Roy wasn't surprised by that; Ed and Riza had both been scrubbed when they joined the delivery room when Trisha was born.

"Hey, Al!" Ed bounded over and wrapped an arm around his brother's neck in a strangling hug. "How's it feel to be a dad, huh? Feeling old?"

"Get off, Ed! Honestly." Al laughed as he disentangled himself from his brother to accept Winry's much more humane embrace.

"Congratulations, Al!" Winry pulled back with a beaming grin. "Is it a boy or girl?"

"A boy!" Al straightened up and puffed out his chest. "He looks just like Mei, too. He's so cute!"

Roy smiled. "Congratulations, Al."

Al's proud grin turned demure, almost shy the way it always did under Roy's praise. "Thanks, Dad." His proud posture returned as he motioned the group into the hospital room. "Come meet him before Mei is too tired and falls asleep."

Everyone shuffled inside to find Mei sitting up in bed with a blue bundle in her arms. She and Riza were talking softly, swapping grins, but both looked over as the rest of the family stepped in.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're all here!" Mei said, grinning at each in turn. "Brother Ling couldn't make it because he had a sudden diplomatic issue crop up, but he said he'll be here either tomorrow or the next." She propped the baby up so they could see his face amidst the swaddle. "Come see, come see! Isn't he perfect?"

They gathered around the bed to ooo and awe and coo over the baby, and Roy had to admit that the kid really was perfect. He'd gotten Al's nose and golden skin tone, but his patch of dark hair, the slope of his eyes, and petite, willowy build were all from Mei.

"He's beautiful, Mei!" Winry laced her fingers beneath her chin, her eyes shining. "What did you decide to name him?"

"Ah, well…" Al fidgeted, blushing a bit. "Mei and I decided to name him after Dad."

Ed wrinkled his nose. "You're calling him Hoenheim?"

"What?" Al blinked. "No, of course not! His name is Royce."

Roy sucked in a sharp breath, shocked despite himself. Al had been calling him 'dad' for almost ten years now, but he'd never expected something like this. Al choosing to name his child, his first born son, after a man like him?

"What?" Ed shrieked, startling everyone in the room, especially the kids. "You can't call your kid that!"

Roy wondered if he should be insulted.

Al stiffened, his jaw clenching. "Oh? And just why not, Ed?"

"You just, you can't okay? Pick something else!"

"No way! He's my son, so I can name him after whomever I want."

"Well you can't name him after the Colonel, okay? That's totally not happening!"

"He's a general now, you know? He has been for years! And I'll name him after the General if I want to!"

"No you won't!"

"Yes I will!"

Fortunately, Trisha and Thomas were used to their father's exuberant personality by now. Baby Royce—Al named him after me!—however, was not. The infant whimpered in his mother's arms, and Roy caught Winry's exasperated eye as she tried to get between the quarreling brothers, motioning for her to take Trisha as Riza had already accepted Thomas who had been struggling to reach his "Mee-mee" since Roy had walked in the room.

"You can't name you're kid after the bastard, Al, and that's final!"

"Oh yeah?" Al challenged, using his (only slightly) superior height to loom over his older brother. "Give me one good reason why not, Ed. Just one!"

"All right, boys," Roy said, ready to wade in and break them up. "That's—"

"Because Winry's pregnant!" Ed exploded, shocking the room to silence. There was a long, awkward pause before Al quirked an eyebrow and said, "So?"

"So," Ed stressed, his face turning an alarming shade of red as he looked around the room. "So, it's…it's my turn…"

"Your turn?" Al asked, brow furrowed. "For what?"

Winry giggled, bouncing Trisha to keep her from wriggling out of her arms and back into Roys. "It's his turn to pick the boy name."

Ed shot her a betrayed frown but she ignored him handily. "If it's a boy, Ed wanted to name him Roy."

"I-I did not! It was just a suggestion, okay? I'm still keeping my options open!"

"Oh," Al said, grinning as he reached for his son. "Well, if you aren't serious about it, then I guess there's no problem. Here, Dad." Al plopped his son trustingly into Roy's empty arms. "Say hello to your newest grandson, Royce Elric."

"Damn it, Al!"

The boys wound themselves up to another round, but Roy ignored them both as baby Royce scrunched up his face for a moment before opening his eyes. They were a beautiful, piercing gold.

"Hello, Royce." Roy smiled at the little miracle and traced his nose with one finger. "I'm your Pop-pop."

Baby Royce smiled.

Kaliea: Another lousy ending; sorry about that.

This is actually the story that started the idea of this collection in the first place. The image of Al wanting to name his son after Roy just popped into my head and then Ed was just so completely against it, only to reveal the shocking truth: he wanted to name his son Roy! Lol. I realize it may be a bit out of character, but this is almost a full ten years after the anime ended, and Roy and Ed's relationship has changed a lot since then. Plus, you know, fluff XD

Thanks for reading!