So, new chapter and good news! For all of you that wanted fluff: I think you'll be really happy with the ending! :D
So please leave a review! (But no flames)
Chapter 20
Ed felt his stomach clench when the bandages were removed and the pressure was gone. He'd been right, the illusion was gone. The illusion was gone and Ed was sitting in a kitchen chair with Granny, Winry and Mustang around him, the latter holding a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, Ed, it looks like they're healing just fine, which means that you can wear these now," Granny announced as she placed a pair of sunglasses on his nose. "They're originally meant to be worn on top of glasses, so the edges are covering the area around your wounds a lot more."
"Oh... Great... thanks," Ed said numbly right before Winry slammed something that felt suspiciously like a sandwich into his hand.
"There, Ed. The best sandwich you'll ever eat, so you'd better eat it right now," Winry said stubbornly. She seemed to want to help him with everything that she could. Today too she had insisted on carrying him downstairs on her back, she had placed the antibiotics in his hand to put them in his mouth himself, but she had been there to press the water to his lips to swallow them with so that he'd be able to do so right away. And every time she spoke, she sounded like she was about to cry. Honestly, she scared him a bit.
"Th-thanks, Winry," Ed said.
"Of course, Ed! And the parts will be arriving from Rush Valley in an hour so Lieutenant Riza will be driving us to pick them up, so we'll be working on your new automail by the time you get back home!" she said cheerfully, but her voice was strained.
He had a feeling that it had something to do with the wail he had let out half an hour ago. He knew that the whole house must have heard it. What the Rockbells must be thinking about it, he didn't know.
Mustang squeezed his shoulder a bit, and Ed knew that it was time for the older man to leave the room, even if Ed kind of wanted him to stay. "I'll be waiting in the living room with the others," he said, before he suddenly crouched down behind the chair, at least Ed thought so, as he began speaking in a low voice. "And, Ed, just know that you don't need to lie about me. You can tell them whatever you like, okay?"
Ed was a bit surprised at the trust Mustang was placing in him, but it felt good even so. "Yeah, okay... and thanks..." he said quietly.
"There's no need to thank me, Ed," he said heavily, standing up and squeezing his shoulder again, before leaving the room and closing the door.
Ed began eating his sandwich, feeling awkward at the tension in the room, waiting for either Winry or Granny to begin talking.
"Edward, are you sure about this?" Granny asked, her voice unusually soft. There was no doubt that she was worried about the recent turn of events.
"Yes, Granny," Ed said quietly. He was extremely uncomfortable. He couldn't see their faces, it felt like he was in many ways sitting inside an interrogation room and that Winry and Granny were sitting in the adjacent room, watching him through the glass pane that looked like a mirror. It was more than a little stressful. Because Granny wasn't happy with Mustang at all. "He wouldn't have done this if I'd said no."
"I'll be blunt, Ed: Are you doing this just so that Al can grow up with a father?" Granny asked, and Ed could practically hear the way her arms were crossed and he could easily picture her frown.
"No, Granny," Ed began. Then he sighed, knowing that he couldn't convince them if he didn't tell them at least bits of it, no matter how much it would hurt them. "He's my guide dog... And I trust him to be so... I don't... I can't live in fear of losing him and being sent off to someone else." Ed suddenly put the half-eaten sandwich on the table next to him and clenched his fist in his lap. He wasn't hungry anymore because the pain was rising in his chest again and it made it hard to keep himself from crying, much less actually will himself to chew and swallow. "I need some stability in my life after every damn shitty thing that's happened and I want to keep staying with Mustang because I can't lose even more people right now. I know you don't like him, Granny, I didn't either, but that's because I've only known him on duty before now. He's different and I want to stay with him."
"He's your "guide dog?"" Granny asked, sounding confused.
Ed bowed his head, sighing. "Yes. That's basically it. I trust him to guide me, and I need it."
"But why him? Why do you trust him, Ed?" Winry asked, her voice strained by tears. "You hated him just yesterday."
Ed would rather avoid answering the question completely unless absolutely necessary. "Because I've realised that, especially when he's off duty, him and me are pretty similar. He can tell how I'm feeling and he..." Ed clenched his fist tighter, deciding to just tell them. "...He knows when I need a hug and he gives it to me without me asking."
Granny grunted. "To be honest, Edward, that's the least he could do," she began, before speaking in a softer voice. "Edward, I know that you're scared, but making decisions like these just after what happened to you is likely to result in you regretting it later on. I know that having someone you can trust is a crucial thing right now, but I don't think he's the right choice. Give it some time, even if just a week or so..."
Ed snapped his head up, facing the direction of her voice, frustrated anger mixing with grief coursing through him. "YOU WANNA KNOW WHY I TRUST HIM?! BECAUSE I MADE HIM CRY! I MADE HIM CRY AND IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, HE'S SAVED OUR LIVES TWICE!" Ed yelled, then he bowed his head, gritting his teeth, not wanting to break down in sobs again. "He's saved our lives twice because he never reported it when he found us in Resembool. He didn't report it either when he found us again two days ago. If anyone found out that he'd kept it silent, then I'm not the only one who'd be facing the firing squad. He also made sure to spread the news about how Al was turned into a baby quickly enough to keep him from being put in some military lab. He's been lying through his teeth for me for the past ten months that I've been in the military and the year before! And now that he has no fucking use for me and could discard me and Al easy as anything, instead he chooses to adopt us because he wants to take care of us!" Ed said angrily, before standing up, placing his hand on the table to balance himself. "So if you don't mind, I have four previous teammates whom I have yet to thank for not reporting me waiting for me at HQ," he told them, walking towards the kitchen door, his hand outstretched in his search for the door handle. He opened it and then paused as he heard the quiet sobs from his childhood friend. "Winry, thank you for the sandwich, it was great, but I'm just not hungry right now. Could you put it in the fridge for me?"
"O-of course, Ed," she said shakily.
"Thanks. I'll see y..." He felt his chest clench and he limped out of the kitchen, the pain from everything that was happening making it hard to breathe.
He heard footsteps approaching quickly from the direction of the living room and he didn't even need to be told that it was Mustang this time. "Can... can we go to HQ now and meet the team?" Ed asked weakly, his voice breaking slightly as he felt a pair of strong arms suddenly lifting him up and holding him close, his head resting against his shoulder. He would have protested this usually, but right now he just sank into it instead.
"Of course, Ed, if that's what you want, then that's what we'll do," Mustang said gently, walking in the direction of the stairs. "Let's just get your hair washed first."
Roy had just finished helping Ed into his clothes, a red sweater and a pair of black sweatpants because the prosthetic leg wasn't exactly easy to manoeuvre into a pair of tight leather trousers, when there suddenly came a couple of knocks on the bathroom door.
"Excuse me, but are you done in there, Ed?" came Winry's voice quietly.
Ed seemed to freeze slightly next to Roy. He hadn't told him much, but he had been able to tell that Ed hadn't exactly ended his conversation on particularly friendly terms. Ed limped forwards, and Roy knew that this was something where Ed didn't want his assistance, and so he just stood back. The kid managed to locate the lock and open the door, but he didn't open it more than just to lean his face out of the room. "Winry?"
"I just thought, Ed, before we leave, that you might want to have your plait fixed? So... So that I can show Colonel Mustang how to do it the way you like it?" she asked shakily.
Roy didn't really know what he was supposed to say or do about it. He had been wondering himself just how he was supposed to make Ed's plait, but he had been planning to ask Gracia for assistance.
"Oh, sure..." Ed said, taking a step back to let her inside the bathroom.
"I brought a red hair tie," she said, holding it up as she walked to stand behind Ed's back, then she grabbed the hairbrush that was still lying next to the sink after Ed had used it to brush his hair. She looked up at Roy shyly, her eyes not meeting his, but locked on somewhere around his collarbone. "Colonel Mustang, if you could walk over here, then I'll show you."
Roy did as he was told, standing next to the young girl as she went through Ed's hair with the hairbrush and then put it down next to the sink again. She then took Ed's hair gently in her hands. "First, you split it into three equally large parts like this," she explained. Roy could tell that this was some kind of way to give him a silent approval, and so he didn't say anything other than a few "mhm"s as she carefully showed him how to do it. She then pulled the hair tie out and handed it to him as Ed's hair glided back out of the plait. "Now you can try."
And so Roy took the proffered item, working carefully with creating the plait, needing a couple of tries to get it right.
"That's it. Now you can help him until he gets his new automail," she said, still looking at the now finished plait.
"Thank you, Miss Rockbell, I appreciate your help," he told her.
She turned towards him, her eyes focused on the topmost button on his grey waistcoat, still not meeting his eyes. "Thank you, Colonel Mustang, for covering up for Ed and Al."
Then she left the bathroom and walked downstairs, her shoulders shaking with silent tears.
Ed felt awkward as he limped inside HQ. Mustang hadn't changed into his uniform, apparently because he was currently off duty and had been given a few days' leave, and didn't feel like looking like he was doing this because of orders. He was therefore just wearing a black coat over his clothes because of the way the air conditioning was meant to keep the masses stuffed inside the building in woollen uniforms from getting dehydrated on duty.
"Oh, Edward!" came a woman's voice from the reception desk, sounding like she was near tears just from looking at him. He was pretty sure that it was Martha who had spoken. She had always had a soft spot for him and Al, and he could hear her as she came walking quickly towards them. "I'm so, so sorry about what happened to you!" she said, and then Ed heard the rustling from a large plastic bag just as it was thrust into his hand. "This is for you, dear. There's something for Al and something for you and it's from us girls here in the reception," she said in a motherly fashion.
Ed was a bit dumbstruck. "Oh, thanks... But it really wasn't necessary..."
"Well, we felt that it was," she told him. "And we heard that you were moving into a larger house, Colonel Mustang, so we wanted to give you something to put in your new home to brighten up the place," she said, and Ed could hear the slight rustling of clothes as she obviously handed Mustang something too, leaving Ed highly curious and a bit confused. Mustang didn't even have time to thank her before she added, "Oh, but now I must return, so please give our regards to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes and his wife too, sir!" And then she left.
"Uh, so, what did she give you?" Ed asked quietly.
"A miniature tree in a black pot with gold-coloured edges," Mustang answered, sounding like he was a bit surprised, but not finding the object particularly appalling.
"Oh... Uh, should we go upstairs to check just what it was that she gave me?"
"Sounds like a plan. Do you want me to take the plastic bag for you so that your hand's free?"
"Yeah, thanks." Ed held up the bag for him to take before limping towards the stairs. He was wondering just what the hell they must look like.
They kept passing officers who offered their sympathies as they made their way up the steps and into the hallway outside the office. Ed then held the tree in his free hand as Mustang used both of his to look through the bag. "Well, Edward, the "something for you" is a box containing a total of twenty-four rather expensive different-flavoured truffles, as well as a pocket watch whose numbers, hour hand and minute hand aren't protected by the usual glass so that you can tell the time just by touch once you click it open."
Ed had to say that that wasn't actually a bad gift. "I think Martha mentioned something once about how her husband was a watchmaker, so that probably explains it." Otherwise, that gift would have been far too expensive for his liking.
"Yes, it's a rather nice watch, actually. The lid even has the same symbol as the one on your coat engraved on it."
Ed was beginning to feel very awkward. "Oh... And the "something for Al"?"
"There is a ginger plush cat with some unnervingly large eyes and two books concerning the topics of "Paulie the Cat Makes Friends" and I'm Learning Amestrian," complete with three hundred words with illustrations."
Ed felt his stomach clench at the reminder about Al and his love of cats. How he'd use to pick up strays and try to hide them inside his armour. He felt his lips tremble and heard the rustling of the plastic bag as Mustang freed his hand and placed it on his left shoulder, squeezing it. "It's okay, Ed."
Ed felt a tear go down his cheek. "Could I... could I have the watch?" he asked. It would be nice not to constantly have to ask those around him about the time.
"Of course, Ed," Mustang said softly, gently squeezing his shoulder before fishing the pocket watch out of the bag, placing it in his hand and taking the tree from him after gently wiping the tear from his cheek.
Ed pressed the button on the watch, flicking it open, and found the numbers engraved on the edge to be made with Roman numerals to make them easier to read, the III, VI, IX and XII larger than the rest of them. It felt comforting in a way to run his fingers over the hands and numbers to tell that their appointment with General Grumman was in seventy-three minutes.
"Are you ready to meet the others?" Mustang asked gently.
Ed nodded, sniffing once to make sure he wouldn't do it in front of the team. He knew that Mustang hadn't told them that they were coming in today in case Ed changed his mind so as not to put any pressure on him. He put the pocket watch in his left trouser pocket, his mind set.
"Then it's three metres down the hall."
And so Ed walked next to the wall, gently running his hand over the surface until he reached the handle and carefully opened the door, feeling his stomach clench at the prospect of just what the others might say when they saw him.
There was silence at first, but then he heard four chairs scraping against the floor at once as their occupants stood up. "Chief! We didn't know you were coming!" Havoc said, surprise evident in his voice. He did sound happy at Ed's arrival, and he felt some of his fear subside slightly.
"Yeah, hi..." Ed said awkwardly. If they didn't know that they were coming, then they didn't know why they were coming either.
Then the four pairs of feet came closer while Mustang waited in the hallway behind him, giving Ed some time to talk with the others without having any attention drawn to plush cats or miniature trees.
"How's the house?" Breda asked. "We heard you were pretty cramped at the moment."
"It... it's fine, Al's sleeping in the guest room with the Hugheses, they're taking good care of him," Ed explained, feeling his stomach clenching.
"Oh, that's good," Fuery said. He sounded very sad at the moment. Ed knew that him and Al had been fond of discussing animals when they were in the office and had the time.
"Are you any closer to finding a new house?" Falman asked.
"No. Mustang and Mister Hughes are in contact with an estate agent."
"Why don't you have a seat, Chief?" Havoc asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Uh, sure," Ed said, letting himself be led over to the couch, limping awkwardly next to him.
"They didn't bust your leg too, did they?"
"No, Winry and Granny are making me some new ones that are designed for people with ... with partial or complete vision loss." There was a silence and awkwardness in the room at those words and they used the time to sit down in the two couches instead.
"Winry and Granny? Who are they?" Fuery asked, obviously trying to steer the conversation away from Ed's blindness.
Ed didn't mind exactly. "I grew up with them back in Resembool. Winry's the same age as me and she's also my mechanic and her and Granny Pinako are the ones who make my automail. They do good work too. Lieutenant Hawkeye is escorting them to the train station to pick up the parts for my new automail."
"So that's where she went? We were wondering why she didn't come in today," Falman said. "So is Colonel Mustang the one taking you here?"
"Yeah, he's waiting in the hallway."
"So he's not here to work today, then?" Breda asked.
And so comes the awkward part...
"No, we have a meeting with General Grumman at half past two."
"What for, Chief?" Havoc asked, sounding worried.
"Uh, well... Me and Al are kinda getting adopted..." Ed said, not knowing how else to explain it. It wasn't as if the team wouldn't find out that their boss had a couple of adoptive sons.
"By the Hugheses? So the Boss has to sign the approval documents or something as your current guardian?" Havoc asked after about three seconds of confused silence.
Wow, is everyone dead set on it being impossible that Mustang is the one adopting us?
"Actually, Havoc, I'm the one adopting them," came the familiar baritone from the doorway. "We figured that it was better this way so that Ed and Al can have a permanent place to live even if I should get injured while on duty."
Ed could have sworn he heard four sets of eyebrows rising.
"Wow, Boss, that's really... nice of you."
"I've been known to be that from time to time," Mustang said casually, walking over to sit down on the couch next to Ed, placing the plastic bag and the tree on the floor next to him by the sound of it.
Ed could barely suppress the urge to just hug him then and there or at least place Mustang's arm around him because he was already nearing his bursting point. He was in the middle of the spotlight at a moment where he wanted it the least and he just wanted to hide himself away.
"I think this is the first time I've ever seen you enter HQ in civilian clothes," Breda said, sounding both stunned and smirking at the same time. "So you're really serious about this, then? You're becoming a father?"
"Legally, yes."
Ed suddenly felt his lips quiver as he thought about when the time came that Al would begin to call Mustang his Dad and Ed wasn't going to see him grow up. He bowed his head as he clutched the fabric of his left trouser leg, barely suppressing the tears. He couldn't help it, not now that Mustang was sitting there right next to him and the the team were being so nice about everything. He interrupted the ongoing conversation so that he could make sure to say what he needed to before he quite possibly broke down into sobs. "Is there anybody else here than the four of you and Mustang?" His voice was croaky as he said it. Mustang did have other subordinates after all.
"There's just us, Ed," Mustang said, slipping his arm around him, obviously hearing that Ed needed it, no matter how it may look to the others.
"Then thank you... For not telling anyone about what I did... For even liking me after realising that I'm basically a criminal..." Ed whispered shakily.
There was silence at that.
Then...
"Why the hell should we not like you for being brave enough to give up your limbs for your family? You're a fucking kid, Ed, you're supposed to be scared and in tears about stepping on a piece of glass, and instead you lose your leg and drag yourself over to a suit of armour and give up your arm to save your brother!" Havoc exclaimed. "I mean, seriously, Chief, that's just heroic and little else."
Ed felt tears running down his cheeks. "I still committed the Taboo... I still tried to bring both Mom and Al back to life due to arrogance..."
"I wouldn't call that arrogance," Breda said. "Not when what you did was because you wanted your family back."
"It would require that you did it just to prove that you could do it. You weren't showing off, were you, Chief?" Havoc said.
"No, I just..." Ed began.
"Then that proves that you're not an arrogant child," Falman said.
"We probably wouldn't have liked you if you were," Breda said, definitely smirking.
"So you really don't need to thank us for it, Ed," Fuery said.
Ed felt a sob escape him before he could stop it.
Then another one.
And another one.
And then he found himself being hugged to Mustang's chest as he undoubtedly stained his shirt with tears.
Roy felt odd as he followed Ed out into the car. From now on, he was actually Al's father. He was Al's father and Ed's Miniature Pinscher.
That last one still had him smiling. The fact that the kid still retained some of his old self by deciding that Roy was a miniature dog was a very good thing in his opinion.
Although he still had a Manila folder under his arm stating that Roy was Ed's father now too. He was a bit unsure as to how their relationship would become. He was happy about being a Miniature Pinscher. But the fact still remained that there was a big chance that it would evolve into him being Ed's father too, and not just in a legal sense.
And I don't really know what to feel about it...
He was extremely proud of his team for the things they had said and done today.
Ed got inside the car and Roy sat down next to him, Ed offering to hold the tree steady by holding it with his feet, at the same time as he started rummaging through the plastic bag, pulling out the box of chocolates and finding the lid to open it, taking a truffle and popping it into his mouth before holding the box out to Roy. "D'you want one?"
Roy looked at the box, scanning the picture on the lid with the contents and found one that was meant to taste of cappucino, and took it. "Thank you, Ed."
"Don't mention it. You're doing a hell of a lot more for me than I'm doing for you. So could we stop at the mall? That "Langston & Co" place?"
Roy turned to look at him. That was a coffee shop that also specialised in sweets and pastry, as well as selling cutlery, plates, mugs, cups and tea sets. Roy usually indulged himself by going there once a week, usually on Saturdays, to enjoy a couple of the best coffee and scones you could find in Amestris. Sometimes he added a few chocolates to his order and he enjoyed chatting with the employees because they were both friendly and likeable.
But the kid also sounded like he only had a vague idea about what that shop really was.
"Edward, you seriously don't need to buy me anything if that's what you're thinking. How do you even know I like to go there in the first place?"
"Yesterday, when I was sleeping on the couch, I kinda heard you and Mister Hughes discuss that place. So when you went to the toilet after helping me with my hair and then went to talk with Lieutenant Hawkeye, I kinda went into your room and ordered some stuff with the phone on your nightstand. It's why I brought my wallet," Ed said quietly. "The guy I talked with remembered you and helped me with putting some stuff together."
Roy just stared at him. "Ed, you shouldn't have done that..." He was touched and surprised, but that place was also highly expensive and Ed didn't exactly sound like it was a small gift either.
"Well, I did, so could you take me?" he asked, sounding a bit unsure if he had done a bad thing.
Well, Roy couldn't exactly refuse and he wasn't going to tell the kid off for being kind. "Okay, Ed. Thank you. That's really kind of you, even if there was no need." He put an arm around him and hugged him.
He ended up driving to the mall with Ed leaning heavily into his shoulder for the duration of the drive.
He guided Ed through the mall, highly curious and just a tad excited, ending up outside the coffee shop, where Mister Morton immediately lit up upon seeing them, waving at his fellow employee whom Roy was quite certain was named Pamela. He then walked out from behind the counter, smiling brightly. The man had a round face, a total of three gray hair locks on the top of his head, making him look slightly like an onion, lots of wrinkles, large, round glasses that were bright green, and he was wearing the usual white apron with the company crest on the left side of his chest. "Ah! There you are! I'm guessing that you, young sir, is Edward?" he asked excitedly.
"Yeah, that's me," Ed said, holding out his left hand, and Mister Morton immediately grasped it in both of his. To most people it would have looked like he was being extra friendly because he was about to make a sale, but Roy knew for a fact that that was just how Mister Morton was. He found people to be genuinely exciting and fascinating, and Roy was beginning to get his hopes up at the fact that this must mean that he had been the one to help Ed, meaning that Roy was about to receive one hell of a gift.
"Well, then, Edward, I will take you over to the counter if you would take my arm," he said, bending his right elbow and offering it to Ed with a smile before looking at Roy. "Whereas you, my good sir, need to wait here or the surprise will be ruined in a rather unforgivable manner, if I may say so."
Roy chuckled slightly and nodded. Mister Morton was a very likeable old man with a lot of humour. And so Roy watched as he guided Ed into the employee room behind the counter, before returning five minutes later, leading Ed out again, this time apparently rolling something out with him, although Roy still couldn't see what it was. Ed even paid with his back to him, confirming Roy's suspicions that this had not been a very inexpensive gift at all.
Mister Morton then guided Ed to the edge of the counter, still dragging the gift with him, just hiding it from Roy's line of vision, grinning, enjoying Roy's obviously growing feeling of suspense, before Mister Morton then mouthed at him to close his eyes, and so Roy did, and he heard wheels coming closer and closer, wondering just what the hell the other customers must be thinking about the display.
"Nah-ah-ah, Colonel, sir!" Mister Morton said playfully. "No looking just yet. I will be behind the counter and then you may open your eyes. So you just count to fifteen, my good sir, and I will bid you farewell and look forwards to the next time you come by. And you too, young sir, is very welcome to visit us anytime you want."
"Thanks. And thanks for your help," Ed said.
"It was my pleasure!" Mister Morton said, and then he chuckled and walked off.
And so Roy kept his eyes closed. "Edward, just what have you concocted?"
"I believe there are still ten seconds until you're allowed to look. And if you're wondering, the cart's ours, I transmuted it in the employee room, so you won't have to use both hands."
"You bought me something that must be carried with two hands?" Roy asked, feeling his stomach clench. This kid was unbelievable.
"Yeah. Hope it looks good."
"I'm sure it does."
"Then I believe it's time you had a look," Ed said, and Roy could hear the grin in his voice.
He looked at the contents for two seconds. There was a large serving tray covered in a vast amount of small dark and milk chocolate balls, with white chocolate balls strewn in to spell out "ONE HELL OF A GUIDE DOG", the edges of the tray having been covered with bags of coffee blends to make it look like a dog basket, and on top of it stood a thirty centimetre tall chocolate dog with round eyes and a white chocolate bone in its mouth, looking very excited.
Roy could only stare.
Then he began laughing and pulled Ed into a hug, not caring that Hughes was probably going to have a seizure when he saw it.