Chapter 5 - Big Brother

Investigation around the labs was more difficult than Ed had imagined.

Not from keeping his nose out of it but because clearly a large number of people were being funnelled through the area.

The illegal animal trade was disturbing, and made headlines when crates and crates of big cats, large primates, and wolves were seized.

Ed had been very careful that day to set Mustang and Hawkeye up to be the first on site and be there for the photographs and media while Edward himself went to the doctor appointment he had been reluctant to go to.

It proved to be the right decision because the media wanted to accredit everything to the new young Alchemist who was on Mustang's staff. The media was hungry enough for news on him that his doctor's visit was directly referenced in the otherwise glowing article about Mustang catching a black market on the edges of Central City and flushing them out.

Ed wasn't overly bothered by this, his gloves kept most people from any suspicious alchemy he was doing and kept his enemies to a minimum. His first month therefore he made it through without stomping on anyone's toes.

That changed when he put in a request to tour the jail beside Laboratory 5.

Brigadier General Grand found Ed at his desk, sitting in his chair not his wheelchair and not so much as a cane in sight.

Ed had been cleared for action, his X-rays showing that the bone had healed around the metal screws. Hurray for modern advancements in technology or proving which herbal remedies actually helped. Whatever Granny and Winry had managed during the surgery had sped the healing process.

He had been too concentrated on not reacting to the pain to pay attention to what they had been doing.

Everyone stood to salute, save Ed.

Ed being the only one in the room not wearing a uniform.

He was Maes Hughes's son, that didn't mean he wasn't still himself.

While he didn't want to make too many enemies, being the irreverent kid in the office was an excellent cover.

Because no matter how smart he was, no matter how much work he did, or how many times he proved himself, people would always underestimate him as a kid.

And if Grand was going to get pissy about overstepping boundaries, it better he blamed the nosy kid than Colonel.

Ed twirled his pen in his hand, "Sir."

Grand glowered down at him, "Fullmetal."

Mustang took that moment to step out of his office. His gaze stuck to his papers in hand as he closed the door. In fact, he made it to Hawkeye's desk, put down the papers before looking up.

Only then did he salute Grand, but he had made the man wait, even if momentarily, even if not in any way as disrespectfully as Ed had by forgoing the salute altogether.

But still, he had made Grand wait.

Edward decided he liked Mustang.

Grand ignored him entirely to scrutinize Ed, "Where is your uniform?"

Ed quirked a brow, "I'm a State Alchemist, I don't have to wear a uniform."

"You're Hughes's son, you know the proper military greeting."

Ed shrugged, leaning back in his chair, "I'm his son, not him. Given how the Amestrian Military prides itself in its lack of nepotism, luckily for him that goes both ways."

Grand loomed over him, "You don't want to make enemies this early in the game, Fullmetal."

Ed raised a brow, "So you're denying my request to have a tour of the prison, I take it?"

Grand's expression hardened and he pulled a letter from his breast pocket. "You've been assigned to a different operation in Lorie. A Priest has gotten out of hand and military personnel have been disrupted. We need someone to go in and assess the situation. It shouldn't be too difficult a task for a State Alchemist."

Mustang strode forward and snagged the paper off Ed's desk that he hadn't bothered to reach for.

"Under whose instructions?" Mustang asked, a dark gaze scan over the page.

"Why the Fuhrer himself," Grand said smugly. "You will be expected on the evening train. Good day, Colonel."

Ed bit his tongue before he could make a smart remark.

As soon as the door was closed, Mustang ordered, "Hawkeye, you'll be going with Fullmetal. Fury, call Armstrong."

"Wait a moment," Ed said. "Isn't that overkill? I can handle myself."

Mustang gave him a disdainful look, "You just got out of a wheelchair."

"That was two weeks ago," he argued, standing to his feet. "And I was cleared for fieldwork. I can handle it."

"You're sixteen—"

Anger flared in his gut and it was too soon since his return to Resembool. Old memories were fresh. Memories of when he had been stupid but also entirely self-reliant, taking care of his brother, and not being taken care of.

There had been many cold and hungry nights. And yes, maybe the Rockbells could have helped more if they asked. But their business had been suffering then and after that initial deposit from Yuriy and Sarah's deaths, there had been more money coming in. Pinako would die before admitting it, but Ed knew they had tightened their belts.

They couldn't have housed Ed and Al without all of them going hungry.

He spoke over Mustang who was not Maes, who didn't see him for what he was.

Ed had been given everything from the Hughes, and Ed had everything to give in return.

"I've been taking care of myself since I was five. Don't let the surgery fool you, automail is a significant advantage in a fight especially as I'm being sent to a small desert city. You don't need to send your best man and another alchemist. Short of an actual army, I'll be fine."

Honestly, he probably could handle a small army too so long as they didn't have other State Alchemists backing them.

No one protested the best man comment, Hawkeye even smiled a bit. Gender neutrality was great and all but the military was mainly men and Hawkeye still outshone them all. She was by far the best man in the room.

If Ed said best woman, he could probably say she was the best female officer in the whole of the military.

Although, Ed hadn't met everyone in the military so only his former statement was factually and provably true.

"Hawkeye needs to assess you anyway and Armstrong needs some fieldwork," Mustang deflected.

"It's my mission," Ed said, not ready to let this go.

Mustang shrugged, "Then feel free to boss them around. But the three of you are going on the evening train."

Ed told himself he needed to pick his battles, that this was only his second month in and there would be time in the future to back at him.

He looked at Hawkeye and told her bluntly, "Bring civilian clothing."

Then he left, paper in hand. He had some research to do.

Reading as he walked, he nearly fell flat on his face when he saw the words, 'Performing miracles,' followed by 'bringing the dead back to life.'

Ed found himself changing course toward the first branch of the library.

Having read Hohenheim's books on human transmutation, he knew that the philosopher stone was sort of the end all be all of getting around the toll like the one that he and his teacher had paid.

He also knew that the military had used them. In the first few years he lived with Maes, his dad had probably shared things he wished he hadn't about the Ishvalan war.

But back then, they both woke screaming from night terrors and Ed had only willingly shared his nightmares if Maes shared his.

Which was totally unfair to Maes because he sighted real events while Ed just described the Gate and Truth which had given Maes zero context clues to his history.

Whereas Maes had described real events, like the power stones they had given to Alchemists to super charge them.

Ed had long ago made friends with Sheska who worked in the libraries. She wasn't great at being an archivist but she was the fastest in any branch for finding a book.

"Hey Sheska," Ed greeted as if he was here to socialize.

She grinned at him, darting over beneath the scowl of her supervisor, "Hi, Edward."

"I was wondering if you could help me?"

Her smile grew, "Of course."

"Can you let me know if there are any books by Tim Marcoh?"

She thought about it then darted off. She came back with a cookbook.

"Just bring it back when you're done," she said.

"Are you going to mark it as checked out?" he asked, leaning forward as if he was flirting.

She shook her head lowering her voice, "I trust you, plus you're an actual State Alchemist now

He kissed her cheek, scooping the book up beneath his red coat that hid just about as much as he needed to. "Thanks, Sheska."

She giggled.

Get back to work!

Ed waved as Sheska scrambled to look busy and Ed left with what he hoped was a coded book, not an actual cookbook.

He went to the regular library after that to research Loire which turned out to be a nothing mining town with no notable religion. Meant this Leto Priest wasn't just new but likely a cultist if he had risen that fast.

When he got home, he transmuted the ink of the name so no one would suspect where he got it before packing it away into his small suitcase along with several pads of paper.

At least he would have something to do on the trip to Loire.

Riza Hawkeye knew the real reason she was being sent on this mission along with Armstrong was to protect Edward Elric-Hughes because Maes was Roy's best friend.

But Riza couldn't help feeling like Roy was more worried about Edward than Maes who waved them off happily.

So far, Riza liked Fullmetal, liked him more because Havoc, who was rarely impressed by anyone, was impressed by the boy and while Edward didn't follow much —or any— protocol, his work ethic was phenomenal. He got things done quicker than any other person she had ever worked on in investigations.

And he was almost always working or reading. She had been as surprised as Armstrong when he pulled out a notebook and a cookbook.

She figured he was decoding when she saw him writing individual words and letter keys. Two hours into the train ride, Edward began drawing arrays and she knew she had been right.

"So Edward, what are you working on?" Armstrong asked.

The little Major kept working as if he hadn't heard.

He probably hadn't.

"Leave him be, Armstrong."

The giant frowned a bit then met her gaze, his gaze doing a slight once over her black shirt white shall and cargo pants. She still looked like a soldier especially with her guns visible but Edward had simply smiled at her outfit.

Roy had the gall to critic the holsters but Edward had waved him off, saying, "Women wearing guns in the desert is seen as a wise life choice."

"I was surprised how much work your team has gotten done," Armstrong said.

She sighed, "I'm just glad, he's been so focused on this case that he's been ignoring the serial cases."

Five dead State Alchemists so far.

Armstrong looked down at Ed who hadn't twitched, "Can he hear us?"

She shrugged, honestly not knowing.

Armstrong sighed, "Do you know how he upset Grand?"

She nodded, "Laboratory 5 is not condemned. We think the prison and the black market have been supplying test subjects. It's under Grand's watch."

Armstrong's brows scrunched, "Monsters."

There wasn't much more to say after that.

By the time they arrived at Loire, Edward had written a manuscript and looked none too happy about it. As if he was angry or disgusted at what he had written.

He packed it away into the suitcase and they walked out into the sun together.

Riza and Armstrong held back, watching Edward work. They were there a half an hour before he got a sweet girl named Rose to take them to Father Cornello.

Though Edward nearly ruined this timely chance when he told her point blank, "You can't bring the dead back to life, Rose. You can only move forward. That is the nature of life, that it ends."

Riza was really beginning to understand why Hughes had allowed him to join the military. I've been taking care of myself since I was five.

And if Edward had been adopted by Hughes when he was eleven, that meant six years without formal guardians. Six years that ended with him getting automail and running away from whoever had helped him.

Yes, he was young, but he was wiser than most adults Riza knew.

So while Edward and Armstrong took the frontal approach, Riza contented herself with snooping through the 'Temple.'

Alex Armstrong was confused by Edward, to say the least.

Alex almost had a panic when he saw the ring on Cornellos finger and the man summoned chimaeras to attack them.

But Edward Elric-Hughes was far from a cripple as he easily kept out of the way of the chimaeras.

The child looked like a circus performer.

Alex, recognising the stone on Cornello's finger, didn't hold back as he crushed the chimaeras beneath stone.

Cornello made a run for it as Fullmetal followed after him, leaping up to the next floor by the railings rather than taking the stairs as if gravity was of no concern.

Armstrong had a moment to lament his youth as two more chimaeras charged him.

Cursing mentally when he heard shots firing outside.

Armstrong realized with relief these weren't true chimaeras, just animated stones.

Which was easy enough to break.

There was a crowd outside once he reached the podium.

"It's just Alchemy. And I got news for you buddy, human transmutation is illegal and while killing animals for science experiments isn't, it is heavily regulated by the government. So unless you have permits, I'm afraid you'll be coming back with us."

"For what!?" some angry citizen yelled. "Rebuilding our city!? What crimes has he participated in?"

"What has he done that you couldn't have done for yourselves?" Ed countered. "I didn't see anything in this town that couldn't be created by a community coming together and lifting each other. Do you need a prophet to tell you to take care of one another? To help those in need. Maybe in the beginning he was generous, but now all he has to do is redistribute what you give him while he lives the high life."

"How dare you!?" Someone yelled. "He's a holy man! He brought the dead back to life!"

Armstrong watched a bird giant be thrown from a balcony. It flapped its wings but it was too big to fly.

"Rose," it squawked. "Rose?"

Hawkeye slid down a pillar on a zip string, guns in hand, "Parrots are excellent at mimicking human speech."

"So are crows and ravens," Fullmetal said into the silence that followed.

"I couldn't give him a human body," Cornello said, seeing the girl's horrified expression. "But a bit more patience—"

"Rose?" it squawked.

The girl yelled, "That isn't him!"

"Rose!" the thing squawked, then lunged at her.

Rose screamed.

Hawkeye shot the thing once in the head and once through the heart. Then she said without deviation in expression, "My condolences for your loss."

Alex sighed.

"Lies!" Cornello yelled. "Could anything but the divine do this!?"

His ring sparked and red energy shot like lightning around the statues. And six seven-foot statues stepped off their pedestals.

Edward scoffed, "Literally—" he clapped his hands and placed his palms on the ground. "—Alchemy."

And the giant stature who sat on a throne on the outside of the temple stood.

Cornello screamed.

There was no array.

Was it possible that he had drawn an array on the inside of his gloves?

Of course, the scale was impressive, the boy had just casually matched one of Marcoh's stones without effort.

Edward slipped the ring off the Priest's finger and placed it on the ground. He clapped his hands and smashed the stone between slates of rock.

The young alchemist stood, dusting off his hands, "Anyone got any questions for this charlatan before we bring him before a court?"

People started shouting out questions but no one rushed them, no one attacked.

No one dared to.

Alex decided right then and there that the title Fullmetal suited Edward Elric-Hughes just fine.

Envy stared from the bell tower with Lust and Sloth.

"What the motherfucking hell!?" Envy exploded.

Lust sighed, "Everyone saw him get on the train, there's no way we can have another prophet take Cornello's place."

Envy shook his head, "It was quick enough. The pipsqueak was too quick."

"But they let there be a trial by the people, they questioned him themselves for hours," Lust argued. "I don't know how to recover from this."

Sloth wined, "He looked like Father."

Envy and Lust turned on him, "The Fullmetal brat?"

Sloth nodded, "He looked like Father."

Envy snarled but inside something twisted, something bitter and ugly that had driven him from the day he was conceived.

The question was, what colour were the boy's eyes?

Roy stared at Riza, "How long were you in town?"

"Eight hours, we caught the false priest about three hours in, and caught the returning train to Central."

Roy blinked, "And no casualties?"

"Aside from the bird chimaera," she said. "Which was on me."

"So, he's good," he said, sinking back into his chair.

Maes really hadn't been kidding about the possibilities.

"Sir," Riza said. "He's a prodigy."

Roy let a slow smile curl his lips, "And he's on our team."

Ed came home just in time for dinner.

"Big Brother!" Elicia shouted.

Ed scooped her up in his arms, "Hey, little sis, how was your day?"

"That was fast," Maes said, standing to wrap them both in a hug.

"Happy birthday, Dad," Ed said, hugging him back with his right arm.

Maes kissed first Elicia and then Ed on top of the head before releasing them.

"Dinner's ready!" Gracia called.

Ed set Elicia on her feet, Cornello's ring he had picked with sleight of hand almost fell out so he moved it to a zippered pocket on the inside of his coat. He had destroyed the decoded notes he had taken of Marcoh's book and given the book itself back to Sheska.

He didn't know what to do with the stone, but he wanted to make sure that there weren't actual souls inside and that destroying it would release those souls rather than destroy them completely.

With what he learned from Hohenheim's books, that was a task better left in Ed's hand than interested to the government that either had made these cursed stones or was still making them.

And no one could know that he even suspected the nature behind these stones or chimaeras.

Which was likely to make his tour of the prison and Laboratory 5 next week rather interesting.

Maes was immensely relieved when Ed came home without a scratch. He decided that Riza Hawkeye was his new favourite person.

Maybe he could bring over some leftover cake for her.

"Edward, where's your present for Daddy?" Elicia demanded.

Ed's face fell and he rubbed his neck nervously, "I forgot."

Elicia gasped, "Bad brother!"

"Now, now," Maes coaxed, neither upset that Ed hadn't bought him anything nor fooled in the slightest that he had forgotten. "Ed made it home tonight when he's been working out of the city. That is more than gift enough."

She pouted but the phone rang and Maes rose to grab it.

Ed held out his hand to his little sister, "Come on, Elly, I'll read you a story tonight."

Elicia grinned and ran to give Maes a hug, "Love you, Daddy!" before running back to Ed.

"Love you too, sweety!" Maes called as he put the phone to his ear.

—Maes?

"Hey, Roy."

—Your son is a prodigy.

Maes grinned, taking the phone to the other room, blowing his wife a kiss as she began to clear the table, "Oh, I know."

—Riza thinks he can do Alchemy without an array.

"What an interesting theory," Maes mused. Maybe Riza was too good for Roy but he really hoped one day the two of them would overcome their trauma to see each other as something more intimate. "What did Armstrong think?"

—He thinks it's on the inside of his gloves. But what got me was his comment about one of Marcoh's stones and Edward besting it.

"If Ed has limits, I haven't seen them yet."

—The Fuhrer will want him.

"But the Fuhrer won't want me knowing everything Ed knows and as long as we live under the same roof," Maes shrugged even if Roy couldn't see it.

—And what if he doesn't want that big of a player on the field?

Maes heart tripped over but he said the thing he had been telling himself for years now, "Because he's young, which means, despite every conviction he has, he could still be turned. The Fuhrer is a politician, he will want Ed alive to be on his side."

Roy sighed into the phone, —Right, plus the political nightmare of doing anything that would lead to the death of such an interesting public figure. If things go right, Edward might single handedly turn around the image of State Alchemists to be something other than Dogs of the Military.

Roy's words settled some of Maes's ever present worries.

"The future we're building toward, right?"

—What is he like in the gym?

Maes laughed, "Oh, he doesn't do gyms, he runs around the city. You might be able to drag him into the Alchemist gym if you agree to spar with him."

—You aren't capable of flips and full body lifts from simply jogging.

"By around the city, I mean he literally runs around on rooftops. Speaking of which, if Hawkeye ever wants a cheat sheet for potential look out points, I think Ed could give her a full tour."

—Please, tell me you're joking. I think Riza might already be ready to move to shadowing him instead. I need her, Maes.

"Well, maybe, if you asked her out on a non-work related—"

—Hughes.

Maes laughed.

Gracia, having finished washing the dishes, came around to kiss Maes and whisper a good night.

—Oh, right, happy birthday, old friend.

Maes snorted, watching his wife scale the stairs as if she were on a damned catwalk.

"Thanks for remembering."

—I gave your son Riza as back up, happy birthday.

Maes's smile softened, "I really am grateful for that. Overkill, but grateful."

—Does your son even have any faults?

"Yes, his virtues are proportional to the trouble he attracts," Maes said. Then he saw Ed coming down the stairs, envelope in hand. "Speaking of whom, I have to go. Talk to you tomorrow."

—Night, Roy said, hanging up the phone.

"Mustang?" Ed asked with a nervous smile.

"Yes, you have him very befuddled," Maes said, gaze narrowing on all of Ed's ticks that seemed to be sparking into being and the tension in his shoulders.

"I really like his team," Ed said, then held up the envelope. "I didn't actually forget your birthday, I just didn't want to explain all this to Elicia."

Heart pounding at the idea that this could be his son finally opening up to him as he put down the phone and accepted the envelope.

Ed tugged on Maes's arm and leading him to the table where there was better light.

Feeling utterly ecstatic, his hands felt as if they should be shaking as he slid the stack of —photographs!— out into the light.

The first picture was of a very young Edward holding up two fingers.

Maes melted completely, just imagining the photographer asking how old he was followed by that serious response.

"You are adorable!" he told Ed with a big grin.

Ed's returning smile was weak at best, taking some of the fun out of it.

Maes didn't need to be an intelligence specialist to know in a stack of pictures like this it wouldn't just be of Ed.

He looked back at the pictures and resolved himself to not asking any questions. Which was made doubly hard when he saw an adorable Ed, around, maybe a little younger holding a baby in his arms with the same golden eyes.

The next picture was of a golden eyed toddler who was being hugged by a three year old Ed.

"My brother, Alphonse Elric," Ed said softly.

Maes paused looking up. Maes had of course deduced Ed had a younger sibling, he was too good with Elicia and Nina to not have prior experience, however, being told, being given a name, that was something meaningful.

"How far apart were you too?" Maes asked, purposely using the past tense.

Ed rested his chin on his palm where he was leaning forward on the table, "Al and I are only a year and few months apart. We were inseparable."

Maes wanted to ask what changed but he had been at this game too long with Ed and he wasn't about to break when Ed was giving him information so freely.

Since it was also his job, Maes had already started cataloguing what he could learn from each photograph.

Ed had been born with all his limbs intact, and when he had been little, there had been adults around to love him and take pictures of him and his little brother.

Maes paused when he came onto a picture of three children.

"Winry Rockbell, friend and mechanic," Ed said.

"She looks like a perfect mix of her parents," Maes said, memorized by the innocence Maes had only ever caught flashes of.

"You knew them?" Ed asked.

"Only in passing. But there was a goodness about them that was hard to forget," he said, then froze over the picture that came next of a family of four.

Maes gaze lingered on the father, he was holding Ed as if he had never held a child before. Ed looked happy, UN bothered by his father's awkwardness. No, the child looked more interested in being near the brown haired woman holding the baby Al who looked nothing short of radiant.

"My mom, Trisha Elric, and Van Hohenheim," Ed said, the latter's name he spoke flatley.

He watched Ed's face, this moment infinitely more important to Maes than any photograph ever could be.

"He left almost a full year before she died, I was five and Al four years old."

"What did she die of?" Maes asked gently.

Ed looked up at him, "She was sick, for a long time but never told anyone, never showed it. She missed him till the end but he didn't come back."

"I'm so sorry," Maes said, putting a hand on his head.

Ed shut his eyes, "I never missed him. He was never there even when he was. He loved her, not Al or I."

Looking at the image of Van Hohenheim, tears immortalized in a photograph surrounded by his family, Maes very much doubted that.

But whatever the man's purposes were in leaving, he had failed Edward, failed to show him that he had been loved by more than just his mother and little brother.

"Hohenheim and your brother are still alive?" Maes asked as lightly as he could.

Ed looked away and Maes immediately saw the problem.

Why Ed was most likely afraid to talk about his family, his home town, or family friends.

Because he never wanted to be sent away.

When Maes first found Ed, shivering like a leaf on the cold streets of Central City, he had been little.

Maes's own parents had passed away before the war and as an only child, as his parents had been, he had had no one.

Gracia wasn't even his girlfriend then just a woman he met before the war. Ed had weighed nothing when he carried him to his hotel room. Maes had slept on the too small sofa and Ed was asleep before he could get the boy's shoes off.

He had called a doctor in to check the automail which Ed had thankfully slept through.

Words were hard for Maes then, hard for Ed too. It took a week of hot meals before he was even willing to answer the simple question of what is your name?

Ed.

It wasn't until Maes brought him along for apartment hunting that Ed began to realize that Maes would never ask him to leave. He was of course free to, but if wanted to stay, then Maes wanted him to stay too.

So now, years and years later, Maes said exactly what he had proven to his son over and over again. He placed a hand beneath Ed's chin and raised his hand so Ed was looking at him. "I don't care if both your parents are alive and the richest and most jovial people on the planet. I don't care if your brother misses you too or if you have friends back in your home town who would gladly take you in; as long as you want to be here, this will always be your home. If your friends or family want to come to visit, they are welcome too, but no matter what happens, you will always be my son, and I will always love you."

Ed stared at him for one long moment, then left his seat to grab Maes in a hug, voice tight with repressed emotion, "I love you too, Dad."

Maes hugged him tight and didn't let go until Ed pulled back, returning to his chair only closer now.

And that's when the stories flooded out.

And all Ed could do was talk about his brother.

Edward was a compassionate person, but for the people he loved, he would literally give his body and soul to protect them. That was apparent in every sentence, every syllable he spoke of his little brother.

Maes was entranced in learning more about his son in this one night than he had been able to glean of his past in five years.

But still, Ed did not explain his amputations.

"Is Alfonse alright?" Maes asked again when Ed yawned wide.

He nodded, "Winry said he is. They haven't been back to Resembool since they left a few months after I did. Our old house was left untouched. But Al still writes to them and I left the letter with her if they ever give a return address or come back."

"He's with Hohenheim?"

Ed nodded, touching his automail shoulder, "I realized I couldn't keep Al safe any more and when it became obvious that he was willing to forgive Hohenheim and that Hohenheim was going to stay or, I guess, take us with him —I left. I couldn't forgive him for leaving mom and I couldn't make Al choose. He might be a good for nothing bastard, but I don't think he would ever hurt Al."

Unlike me, said the unspoken words.

Maes burned to push, to know, to chase down the fool of a man who had abandoned his family and alienated them so completely that one of his sons would rather be entirely homeless and alone than tolerate his existence.

He might have worried Hohenheim hurt Ed himself but Maes could still see too much self loathing in Ed's tone and body language.

As much as he hated Hohenheim, he hated himself more.

What was more, he thought himself a danger to his little brother. Which was one of the most absurd notions Maes could possibly contemplate.

Ed yawned again.

Maes looked at the clock, "You have work tomorrow, Ed."

When you really never had to work at all.

Ed nodded, gave Maes one final hug and mumbled, "Goodnight, Dad, happy birthday." Before leaving Maes with these beautiful pictures and a billion more questions.

Maes burned some time picking out all the pictures that just had Ed in them or just Ed and Winry Rockbell, respecting to the fact that Ed wouldn't want to be questioned about his birth parents or absent brother.

Then he went to the box Gracia had given him for his birthday that was entirely fitting, now even more so than earlier in the day.

Picture frames —lots and lots of picture frames— and more film for his camera.

He set into motion putting Ed's childhood pictures in beside Elicia. Looking at the collaborative frame, his two beautiful children, he felt a sense of rightness, like no one in their right mind, could ever question whether Ed belonged with them or not.

Edward was Maes's son.

The boy who followed him to work, hiding beneath his desk and reminding him to eat meals. Ed, who had run all the way from their apartment to the diner across the city he had taken Gracia to when Maes had forgotten the bouquet of flowers he picked for her.

Ed who had woken him up from every night terror with a bucket of water that he would transmute back into the bucket. Then he had climbed into bed with him for Maes to read aloud his favourite novels.

As much reading as Ed read, his first fiction novels were the ones Maes read to him.

It should have been enough.

He should have been secure in the knowledge that what he and Ed had was a stronger relationship than most parents could hope for with a child.

But Maes Hughes was not a man with a quiet mind and he couldn't not dissect every scrap of information he had learned.

He looked at the clock and broke into his good stash of coffee.

Roy jolted out of bed at the pounding on his door.

Slipping on a glove, he went to the door ready for homicide.

When he opened the door, he snarled, "Maes, I will fry you."

Maes passed through unperturbed, going straight for Roy's kitchenette.

Roy noted his friend's agitation, looked at the clock, three o'clock in the fucking morning, and resigned himself to the knowledge he wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight.

"That better be fucking coffee," he grumbled, sitting on the couch.

Maes flipped on the light which Roy blinked against and accepted the envelope he was handed.

"Only the good stuff."

Roy sighed mildly appeased by the idea he would be getting good coffee that he hadn't had time to locate for himself yet. He reached into the envelope and found pictures.

No surprise, and he was about to rip into Maes about waking him up for this bullshit when he saw the golden hair.

Roy flipped through the images, "He has a brother and a sister?"

Maes was leaning against the counter, "Alfonse Elric, who is younger than Ed by a year, and Winry Rockbell."

Roy winced, "His brother passed?"

"No, he's apparently doing just fine travelling the country with their biological father."

Roy looked up at him sharply, "What?"

Maes ran a hand through his hair, "You were right about Resembool, Van Hohenheim is their site."

"Van Hohenheim, the Alchemist of the West, Hohenheim of Light, the Light Alchemist, is Edward's father."

"Yep and he hates him, Roy, actually hates him."

"There are legends about Hohenheim going back a century. If rumours are to be believed, he is one of the most powerful and knowledgeable alchemists in existence. But he settled down in Resembool, neighbours to the Rockbells of all people, long enough to have two kids. And he trained Ed?"

Maes frowned, tapping his fingers on the counter, "I really don't know if he did. He left when Ed was only five years old and from his comments, they weren't close in the slightest."

"So, inherited genius?"

"I suppose," Maes said, pouring the boiled water into the press.

Roy looked back at the pictures and found the family photo of four, they all looked happy, save Hohenheim who was visibly crying. "He's holding Ed like he's a wet sack of flour."

Maes nodded, pouring the coffee into two separate mugs, "Trisha Elric, both boys took their mother's names."

"When did she die?" Roy asked, unable to imagine that such a kind woman who so obviously loved her children could be hated by her sons.

"Not a full year after Hohenheim left," he answered, bringing the coffee over to the sofa.

"Edward was five years old?" Roy asked.

"Which tanks my theory Ed killed his mother."

Roy nearly snorted his coffee and Maes snatched the pictures away.

"What the fuck Maes!?"

Maes sighed taking off his glasses, "I don't know, Roy. I'm so confused. Ed told me more than he ever has but it just makes what I know of him make less sense."

"You think he killed his mother?"

"No, but he clearly blames Hohenheim for his mother's death but he seems to be caring around this guilt that he believes he is worse than Hohenheim."

Roy sipped his coffee, "So, he wasn't born with any deformities."

Meaning it had been traumatic amputations.

Maes shook his head, "He didn't say how it happened, but he made it sound like he no longer believed he could take care of his brother, that he would in some way be a danger to Alfonse."

"That doesn't match what I know of him. Have you ever worried for Elicia with Ed?"

"Never," Maes said without hesitation. "Roy, I can't think of anything he would do that would be worth his exiling himself from the people who love him. He said he couldn't forgive Hohenheim and that he couldn't make his brother —who was willing to forgive their father for leaving— choose between them."

Roy frowned, "He didn't believe himself to be a fit guardian for his brother."

"He was eleven!" Maes exploded.

Roy sank back into his seat, "So he did something stupid that lost him his arm and a leg and he took too seriously that he was responsible for his brother."

Maes sighed, "Something dangerous that his brother possibly avoided more by luck than design, and Ed never forgave himself for it."

"But learned the lesson well enough that he doesn't think he would ever endanger Elicia or anyone else like that."

"He's not Elicia's guardian. He's just her big brother." Maes looked down at the pictures in his hands. "And he's always been a great big brother."

Roy's heart twisted for Maes. The man ran the intelligence department at the Central Offices. He was brilliant in his own right, brilliant enough that but for the physical differences, he wouldn't doubt Ed actually being Maes's biological son.

But brilliance came at a cost.

For Edward, his ability to be a child and not keep pace with the adults around him.

For Maes, never missing a lie and being completely incapable of not trying to put the pieces together.

The amount of which the two compromised, Edward letting someone care for him and Maes living with unanswered questions, told Roy all he needed to know about the strength of their love for each other.

Roy had never believed trust could run so deep between two people when so many lies and uncertainties stood between them.

AN: Super long chapter, please drop a comment to your Witcher?