Okay, I don't know where the sudden surge of inspiration for these chapters are coming from, so I just want to warn you that I could reach a writer's block or lose my inspiration at any moment, so don't expect this to be a regular occurrence.

Other than that, please leave a review, but no flames because they're really discouraging ;)

Chapter thirty-one

The car was suddenly filled with a couple of seconds' tense silence at Roy's question.

"That's the explosion at the Central East City Train Station that happened seventeen years ago, isn't it?" Ed asked from the backseat.

Roy sighed, the memories still plaguing him, even if he wasn't as burdened by them as he had used to be. "Yes, that's the one..." He paused a bit, trying to find out how to say it. He decided against glossing some of the facts over. He ought to be completely honest, and so he was. "It was actually my eighth birthday, so me, my Auntie Chris, Nan and Pappy were going to meet my Mum and Dad at the train station... We talked for a bit and the next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital with both arms and three of my ribs broken while most of my chest and upper arms were covered in burns. That's also how Nan lost her hearing..." he told them heavily.

Riza moved her hand to rest on his cheek instead, and Roy leaned slightly into the touch, but not enough to distract him from his driving.

"If the three of you don't mind, I'd like to show you the memorial. It'll only be a few minutes' detour."

"Of course!" came both Elrics's voices from the backseat, and Roy felt Al's right hand on his shoulder.

He didn't really know what to say. The two brothers were showing that they actually really cared about him. "Thank you... I know what happened to all three of you, so it's only fair that I tell you what happened to me..." He sighed again. "It was how I met Maes. He was brought into the same hospital room as me because he'd broken his pelvis and a couple of ribs after he fell down from a tree taking pictures of his kitten. He was released from the hospital before I was, but as soon as he was allowed to he came to visit me for as long as possible. Nan used the time to furiously try to learn how to read lips since my arms needed months to heal because of how extensive the injury to them were. So she learnt how to read lips while I learnt ASL without actually having arms to sign with. So there we were, I had lost my parents and my aunt, while Nan and Pappy had lost both their children and their daughter-in-law, and so most of the time those first few months were spent on learning how to communicate." Roy sighed yet again. "It's why me and Nan are so close. In a way she's both my Nan and my adoptive mother and we've pretty much been through hell together..." He began chuckling a bit. "And now she's entering a bowling tournament at age eighty as one of the members of "The Flamin' Biddies", complete with Wilhelmina's homemade team shirts."

There was another round of silence for about ten seconds, before Ed spoke again. "...So that's why you didn't act oddly about helping me in that field..."

Roy had to say that Ed's reaction was almost amusing. When Roy had helped him when he had to pee behind that bush the other day, the boy had been thoroughly embarrassed and hadn't dared to speak to Roy for over five minutes afterwards. "Spending a few months needing help with that selfsame thing kind of removes the awkwardness of it..." he responded before turning the car left into the parking lot outside the train station. "Well, here we are."

They got out of the car, Riza walking over to the doors in the back to help Ed out, while Roy stood there, looking down, not really sure what they must be thinking about this.

Then suddenly a small hand was holding his left, and he looked down to find Al standing right next to him, his eyes filled with tears that were threatening to start streaming down his cheeks.

Roy immediately crouched down, still holding Al's hand while using his free one to wipe away the tears. "Al, it's okay... It was a long time ago..." he told him softly, cupping his cheek and gently stroking it with his thumb.

Riza and Ed came over to them, and Roy stood up, his hand still holding Al's as he led them around one of the outer walls until they reached a large rectangular piece of stone that was about one metre wide and two and a half metres tall, the stone nearly completely black to make the words carefully painted gold engraved into it especially visible. In the middle of the stone was a brief description of the events that took place, as well as the date and the time of the explosion. And the number of deaths. "Forty-three..." Roy told them. "Forty-three people lost their lives that day." He then pointed to the lists of names surrounding the grave words in the middle. "They're all here... Complete with names and their age. Fifteen of them were children, the youngest only six months old..." He then pointed at three names at the right side of the stone. "And here are Mum, Dad and Auntie Chris..." He sighed heavily. "My name would have been up here too if it hadn't been for the fact that Mum and Dad had taken the worst of it by hugging me. Auntie Chris was standing the closest to the explosion, Nan had been standing a bit further away, and Pappy was the one who was the least injured because he had been standing back in order to take a picture. He and Nan were more or less thrown out of harm's way because of the force of the blast. I don't even remember the bomb going off, I was knocked out immediately as I was thrown to the ground. The doctors told me I got trapped under a beam, which was how I broke my arms and ribs, and why I got burned the way I did. It was just dumb luck that I survived, really..." He sighed, feeling that well-known lump in his throat as he reached out and placed his right palm over the three names. The pain of losing them like that may have become a lot better over the years, but it was still there. And somehow it hurt a lot more visiting the memorial this time. He had never brought anyone with him to see it other than Maes, Nan and Pappy.

He removed his hand and looked at the other three, Riza and Al with tears in their eyes, Ed looking pale and obviously filled with painful memories. "They'd have liked you three," he told them with a small but fond smile, before he put his free hand in his pocket. "If you're up for it, I'd like to take you three back to my house. I think I've intruded upon your hospitality a bit too many times not to return the favour. We could stop on the way over and grab some Xingese takeaway."

Riza stepped forwards, placing her left hand on his cheek and gave him a light kiss, before pulling back, giving him a small smile. "We'd love to."

"Mhm," Al said, looking up at him, squeezing his hand slightly.

Ed, however, shrugged. "Love to is taking it a bit too far, but I'm okay with it."

Roy smiled at all three of them, feeling like a large burden had been removed from his shoulders.

Yes, there was no doubt in his mind, he wanted to have these three in his life.

"So, here we are. You three can look around a bit while I get the plates and cutlery," Roy told them, the large bag stuffed with plastic containers full of delicious food in his hand.

"I'll help you, Roy," Riza said, smiling warmly, already taking the bag from him, while the boys were busy removing their shoes.

...Meaning that Al was placing his neatly on the floor below the peg he had just hung his jacket on, while Ed unceremoniously kicked his shoes off, muttering about how he was going to see just what sort of books the Old Fart had as he disappeared down the hallway.

Al looked up at Roy a bit uncertainly, but Roy just smiled at him. "Go on, Al, it's okay. If you need it, the bathroom's down the hallway on the second door to the left."

The young boy gave him a small smile and a nod. "Thank you, Roy."

Roy tousled his hair. "Go on, kiddo, we'll have dinner ready in a few minutes."

Al's smile widened a bit, and he went off in the same direction that Ed had gone while Roy bent down to place Ed's shoes next to Al's, before he straightened up to look at Riza. "Come on, I'll take you to the kitchen."

She smiled, once again reminding Roy that she was the prettiest woman he'd ever meet, and he took her hand, leading her to the kitchen. It was a medium-sized room where all the things needed for cooking were lined up in an L-shape, the various shelves, cupboards and drawers were all painted in an old-fashioned blue-green colour, working well with the dark blue of the walls. The fridge was standing in the corner of the room, while there was a four-seater table on the middle of the floor. A couple of windows were facing the garden, the curtains a light blue colour.

Riza placed the bag on the kitchen table just as Roy began taking plates out of one of the cupboards. "The cutlery's in the top drawer to the left. We need about eight spoons, I think. Grab a couple of extra forks just in case."

And so they walked back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, before all that was left was the bag with the food itself.

Then something strange happened. They took one look at each other, then they smirked at the same time before they bounded for the food, caught in a race to be the one to bring the food to the living room.

It turned out that his new girlfriend wasn't above shoving him with her right shoulder, but Roy's instinctive response to grab hold of something to keep himself on his feet ended with him dragging her to the floor with him.

Next second, Riza was lying on top of him and they both burst out laughing.

Then came tutting from the doorway. "Look at that, your days as a racing horse appear to be over, don't they, Old Fart?"

Then Ed began laughing and left the room, talking loudly. "We found your library in the basement, so you two can be all lovey-dovey after we've eaten. But no bangy-stuff, that's just weird when we're in the same house..."

Roy just looked at Riza who was quickly getting out of her frozen state and leaning up on her hands on either side of Roy's head, looking right down at him with wide eyes, blushing.

Roy stared back at her, knowing that he was bound to be blushing just as badly as her. And yet the only thing he could think of saying was the part that caused their reddened cheeks in the first place. "Bangy-stuff?" he asked her in complete shock and incredulity.

"I do believe that Ed will never become a poet..." Riza answered.

"FOO-OOO-D!" Ed suddenly shouted from the living room to remind them of the takeaway still standing on the kitchen table.

Riza stood up quickly and fetched the bag while Roy got to his feet, dusting off his suit.

Then Riza walked up next to him, smirking. "I believe that I won," she whispered playfully, kissing his cheek, before walking into the living room.

He followed her, torn between laughing or starting a tournament.

"Well, library time, have fun..." Ed said, standing up from his chair as soon as he and Al were finished eating.

And so the boy moved to leave the room, before pausing in the doorway, turning around to look at Roy. "Uh, but first toilet break and a private word, Roy?"

Roy was slightly surprised at the request, but a part of him had seen it coming. Ed had been looking like he wanted to talk ever since the drive back from the memorial, and so he seemed to decide that this was the best moment to do it. "Of course," he said, standing up, before he walked over to Ed and followed him into the hallway, hearing Riza suggest to Al that they'd do the dishes.

Meaning that she's suggesting something that makes enough noise for Ed to be sure that he's not being overheard...

Roy smiled inwardly, his girlfriend was a genius.

Helping Ed in the bathroom was quick, but it was clear that Ed wanted the privacy of the bathroom, and so Roy instead just sat down on the lid of the toilet while Ed slid down the wall, his knees halfway leaning against his chest.

The kid sighed, looking down. "I'm sorry about what happened to you... That... that's... I don't really know what to say..."

Roy leaned his elbows on his thighs, his hands halfway folded as he let out a heavy sigh. "I get it Ed, and thank you... but like I said, it was a long time ago, and it is something that gets better with time. I hope you don't see it as me seeking pity, because I don't... But it will probably come up at some point, and I don't want to risk losing your trust by keeping my past a secret from you three."

"Doesn't feel like it's gonna get better... Everybody says it will, but it doesn't... 'Cos it still hurts..." Ed stayed silent for a few seconds, before letting out a deep breath. "I hate it... I just want her back, but she's gone and I dream about her and I wake up and remember that she's dead and I just... I just want her back, Roy! ... I want her back 'cos I'm scared..." he said, and Roy could hear the tears building in the young boy's throat.

But he also knew that letting Ed say what he needed to say wouldn't be possible if Roy pulled him into a hug because Ed would just begin sobbing. He'd begin sobbing and once he was done, the moment would be lost and Ed would be likely to close himself up again until next time.

And Roy knew what Ed was talking about. What frightened him so. "...And you're scared because you're so young... You're scared because the memories of your mother will fade as you grow older. You're noticing that most of your childhood memories are already disappearing and you can't tell how much you'll be left with... And how much Al will remember... Because of Nan and Pappy, I could be told a lot of the things I had forgotten... So do you know what you can do?"

Ed looked up at him at that, lips quivering and his eyes shining with tears that were about to start streaming down his cheeks. "What?"

"You write it down. All your good memories of your mother. You and Al should sit down and make your own little notebook. That way, you won't ever really forget her. You collect all of it. And so you two can look through that book when you grow up and read about how amazing your mother was."

Ed looked up at him wide-eyed, his eyes filled with painful happiness. "You did that yourself, didn't you?" he asked quietly.

Roy nodded once. "It was Nan's idea. And I keep it in the top drawer of my nightstand. Because fact is, I don't remember Mum and Dad and Auntie Chris much. I remember I loved them, I remember a few moments, but most of it's gone." He gave him a weak smile. "And yet I have a notebook that has been filled completely with all those good and happy moments I had with them."

"Th-thank you... We'll do that..." Ed said, sniffing.

"No problem, Ed."

There was silence between them for almost a minute, but Ed didn't move to leave the room. He obviously wasn't done. "D-did you ever feel like a freak?"

At that, Roy decided that he might as well just tell him the truth of it. "Every damn Wednesday at noon."

Ed looked at him in confusion. "That... that's specific?"

Roy sighed and began removing the suit jacket and then his shirt, exposing the scarring on his arms, making Ed's eyes widen. He then pulled off his undershirt, revealing the rest of it, the way it went from just above his navel and up to his collarbones. "Wednesdays at noon were when we had PE, and the headmaster at the school I went to was a self-absorbed prick who believed that everyone were equal. That meant that we wore the same uniforms, which I didn't mind, it covered it all up, after all." Roy sighed. "But we also had a specific dress code that would earn you detention should you not uphold it for PE lessons. Which meant that everyone had to wear the singlet with the school crest and the school sports shorts. It also meant that the headmaster decided to make an example of how I wasn't treated any different from the other kids to show how my scars didn't affect my worth at all. You can imagine how well that went, can't you?" Roy said, not able to keep himself from rolling his eyes slightly.

Ed just kept staring at him, but with a different kind of horror than most people did. Because Ed was obviously imagining what it must be like to have all those kids gawking at the scars two hours a week. He then looked back up at Roy. "And you were eight? You were eight and surrounded by a bunch of kids who wouldn't stop staring at those? Why didn't you change schools?"

Roy gave him a weak smile. "Because of those few people who didn't stare. I had a small group of friends who didn't care. Who didn't see the nerdy kid with the dead parents and the freaky scars who would have his grandfather call the school to confirm that he had to stay home with a fever every time we had swimming lessons because the pool wasn't limited only to our school, meaning that the first time I stepped out of the wardrobe, I was met by a woman in her fifties screaming and stepping backwards in horror, accidentally falling into the pool behind her." He felt a bitter smile form on his lips. "Those people who didn't stare, came to the flat after school was over to cheer me up because I had run back into the wardrobe, pulled on my uniform sweater and sprinted barefooted back to my grandparents in tears. Those that came to visit me brought the stuff I'd left behind in the wardrobe, plus a chocolate bar they had bought for me on the way over. I wasn't going to sacrifice those I cared about over the brats who thought I was a freak."

Ed nodded. "I see..."

"But if somebody makes fun of you or gives you hell for your arm once you go back to school, then just tell me and I'll speak to the headmaster and your teachers and give them a piece of my mind." Roy winked at him. "DCI's privilege."

Ed's eyes widened and he gave Roy a weak smile. "Thanks." Then he got to his feet and Roy expected him to leave, their talk now done.

Instead, Ed surprised him by walking over to him and giving him a hug. "You know, Old Fart, you're pretty awesome when you want to be," he whispered.

Roy hugged him tightly. "You too, kiddo, you too..."

Ed kept hugging him for a few minutes, creating an increasingly growing wet spot on Roy's shoulder, before he suddenly pulled away, smiling at him. "I guess you've earned your alone time with Riza now. And me and Al will begin on that journal."

Roy smiled back at him. "Come with me for a second," he said, before pulling his undershirt back on, deciding to leave the rest of his clothing in the bathroom. He trusted Riza and he trusted Al. After all, he doubted Riza would react like like a couple of his girlfriends who had screamed and then broken up with Roy a few days later, mostly because they couldn't look him in the eye after the way they had reacted to the scars.

And so he instead led Ed up to his room, before walking over to his desk and pulling out a journal. A journal that had never been used. It was one that would have been worth a lot due to the quality, one that Roy had wanted to use many times, but he hadn't felt like it was the right moment. It was leather bound and a very fine journal. And now Roy was holding it out to Ed. "Here, use this. My Mum made this for me as a present for my first day at school. She told me that I should use it for something really important, and that I'd know when it was the right time to do so. And I am absolutely certain that that time is now. So here. Use it in honour of both our mothers," Roy told him, smiling at him and feeling a tear of his own building in the corner of his eye.

Ed smiled sadly up at him, tears still shining in his eyes as Roy stuffed the journal under the young boy's arm, before using his hands to gently wipe his tears away.

Ed nodded. "Th-thank you, Roy... I-I... I'm glad that you're the one to take care of Riza... Now do. But no bangy-stuff."

Then Ed turned around sharply and jogged out of the room, not saying anything else to Roy.

He did however shout out loudly down the staircase as he ran in the direction of the basement. "HEY, RIZA! HE'S READY FOR YOUR SNOGGY-TIME! HAVE FUN!"

"Brother!" came Al's shocked voice.

Roy laughed for about half a minute and then Riza was standing in the doorway. She took one look at the scars, before stepping forwards and placing her hands on his cheeks, giving him a deep kiss, before pulling away slightly, placing her arms around Roy's waist, just as Roy did with hers. "Riza... Thank you..." he told her, not knowing what else to say.

She just smiled at him, giving him a quick kiss this time. "You need to know one thing, Roy Mustang..." then she leaned up to whisper in his ear. "You being a good parent is damn sexy..."

Roy caught her lips within half a second, bringing his hand up to let her hair fall down to her shoulders.

...And he was letting himself be blessed with his snoggy-time indeed.