"Welcome to Curtis Meats," a voice calls from somewhere in the back as Ed pushes the door open and the bell chimes. The bundle in his arms stirs a little so he adjusts his hold. Seconds later, Mason appears around the corner. "What can I get ya—Ed?"

Ed grins at him and shifts the bag on his shoulder. "Hey, how're ya doing?"

"Good, I—good uh—what are you doing down here? Did Sig and Izumi know you were coming?"

"I'm just visiting," he answers, readjusting the wriggling weight in his arms. "And no, it's sort of a surprise visit." He peeks around the corner. "Are they here right now?"

Mason nods, lifting the bar to behind the counter. "Yeah, of course. You can just head on back."

"Thanks," he says, hesitating in the doorway. "Do you want to take a break and come back with us?"

Mason's eyes automatically dart to Ed's arms. "No, I think you'll want a few minutes alone with the Curtises. Plus, someone should be out here in case an actual customer comes."

"Okay," Ed chuckles. "You're welcome to come join us whenever."

"Yeah, for sure," Mason confirms with a smile, leaning back against the counter. As a yawn overtakes Ed, he turns away and starts down the short hallway into the living room. Nothing has changed much in the time since he was last here. The squeaky floorboard is a little bit louder now. There's a new piece of art on the wall. A few new advertisements. But the hallway past the butcher station is still dimly lit, making Ed's eyes burn as they struggle to adjust. There's still the strangely sterile smell in the air and it still feels like home.

As he knocks and opens the door without waiting for a reply, the active, swaddled baby in his arms squirms more. "I know, kid," he mumbles, pushing his way inside.

"Izumi! Sig! You have a visitor!" Mason shouts somewhere behind Ed as the door creaks open. He scoffs a little. Better late than never.

"A visit—Edward?" Sig questions, half-standing up at the table. At the mention of his name, Teacher turns in her seat and makes eye contact with him.

"Well, if it isn't my stupid pupil," she says with a grin. "You look awful. Have you not slept in a month?"

"Yeah, well," he laughs, closing the door gently behind him. "This one doesn't exactly let me sleep through the night anymore." Teacher and Sig seem to notice the infant cuddled to his chest for the first time, both of their eyes widening slightly. "I hope you don't mind me dropping by unexpectedly. There's just someone I wanted to introduce to you both."

Teacher stares at him in shock, eyes fixated on the baby in his arms. Sig stands from his seat fully this time and pulls out a chair from the table.

"Not at all," he answers. "Sit down."

"Not gonna argue with that," Ed jokes, taking a seat and setting his bag on the floor next to him. As he does, Teacher seems to regain her composure and readjusts herself in her seat.

"Did just the two of you make the trip up here?" she asks, fidgeting slightly with her cup of coffee.

"No," he starts with a smile. "My better half took most of the night shift and is sleeping in. And Mei and Al are back in Xing right now, otherwise I'm sure they would have come as well."

"Well," she says, nodding, "it's good to see you either way." She takes a sip before continuing. "Now… are you going to introduce us or are you going to leave me waiting?"

Ed laughs. "Yeah, yeah, I was getting to it. I was just getting settled for a moment." He turns slightly so that the two of them can see the little face among the blankets. "This is Archer. You're both welcome to hold him if you'd like."

Teacher sets down her cup. "May I?"

"Of course," he answers, passing him over. Archer settles into her arms, facing scrunching a little, probably from the momentary cold.

"How old is he now?" Teacher asks, pulling the swaddle away from his face a little.

"Two months next week," Ed answers, lifting his metal leg up onto the chair. Sig moves in order to peer over Izumi's shoulder.

Not taking her eyes off of the baby, Teacher smacks him hard on the back of the head. "You should have told us sooner, you idiot."

Ed rolls his eyes and rubs at the sore spot. "Well, I figured that this was better than just calling you up and saying I had a baby. You probably would have thought I had stolen it or something."

Sig lets out a chuckle as Teacher scoffs and looks up at him. "Considering you never even told us the two of you were trying and that he has brown hair, that option isn't off the table."

Ed shrugs. "I don't pretend to understand genetics. It never came as easily to me as alchemy."

"You're sure he's yours?" Teacher jokes, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes," he laughs, "I am more than certain he's mine. If he ever wakes up, then the eyes will give it away." Teacher smiles at him and looks back down at Archer. "Besides, my mom had brown hair, so it's not entirely impossible."

She's quiet for a moment, fingers gently brushing over the fine chestnut brown hair. Archer stirs a little, wrinkling his nose and moving his head away. But he keeps his eyes shut, trying his best to stay asleep. It'd be nice if he tried to sleep this good during the night instead of just during the day, Ed thinks to himself, leaning into his hand and resting his elbow on the table. Exhaustion is weighing on his eyelids as he blinks slowly. He's half tempted to take a catnap while Teacher and Sig fawn over the baby.

"Ours was blond," Teacher comments after a moment, jolting Ed awake. He stares at her somewhat groggily as she looks up and makes eye contact with Sig. "A head full of light blond peach fuzz."

Sig wraps an arm around her and simply says, "Izumi."

"Our time with him was so short that for a while I didn't believe it was our baby," she continues. "Moreso I didn't want to believe it… I found out later that it's not uncommon for some to be born with blond hair that gets darker later on." He can't ignore the grief in her eyes and smile as she turns back towards Ed. "Just another of those things I had to learn to accept about that day."

Ed moves his foot back down onto the ground and sits up straight. "I can't imagine. Especially now. It must have been awful."

"Hopefully, you'll never have to know," Teacher replies, looking back down at Archer. "He's beautiful by the way."

"Granny Pinako said that too."

"Oh," she starts, looking back up at him. "So you didn't even tell us about the pregnancy and then we weren't the first ones to meet him either?"

"Oh, please," Ed scoffs, leaning back in his chair. "We decided to let him meet his great-grandma first and then his grandparents. And you guys were at the top of the list for that!"

Teacher and Sig gape at him. He blinks. Were they really not expecting this? he wonders as they share a look between themselves and then look back at him.

"'Grandparents?'" Sig echoes.

"Edward," Teacher says the word catching in her throat.

Ed smiles back at them sheepishly with a shrug. "Well, I guess only if you want—"

"Yes," Teacher interrupts, a sharp laugh breaking through her. "Of course, Edward."

He pretends not to notice the tears streaming down their faces as he replies, "You guys are the closest thing I had to real parents growing up. I figured that wouldn't stop now."

Slowly, Teacher pushes away from the table and stands. Ed instinctively gets up as well, holding his hands out. "Hey, be careful with the kid! His bones are soft and fragile—"

"C'mere, you little runt," she interrupts, using her free arm to pull him into a hug.

He smiles and lets it happen. Wrapping his arms around her in return, he mumbles, "You know I'm taller than you now, right?"

"Nonsense," she replies, sniffling as Sig places a hand on both of their shoulders. "You'd have to start acting like it first."

He chuckles, resting his head on her shoulder and enjoying the physical contact. "I'll start working on that once little guy starts sleeping through the night."

Teacher pulls away, keeping a hand on his arm and looking him in the eyes. "I can't believe they let you become a parent."

"I can't believe they let you become a grandparent." She barks out laughter. Another tear slips down her face. Sig quietly wipes it and Ed smiles, knowing he's made the right decision.