Chapter twenty-four

Ed was scarred for life by the time his mind was working again and Dad was done with four hours of increasingly personal questions about fatherhood.

They really explored every single emotional step of the way these last couple of weeks. And the entire country would know all about it tomorrow.

Problem was, Ed's mind might be working, but his body still wouldn't listen, so he was still stuck there. He'd rather pretend not to be able to speak properly yet, because there was no way in hell that he was going to be asked the same questions.

"M'tired," Ed tried, knowing that Dad could see right through him, but that didn't matter. If Ed got to sleep on the couch in the corner, then everything would be perfect.

Greg and the others were downstairs, working as security together with Hawkeye. Ed knew that Walter and Harold were with Fredricks, getting him to safety.

Dad stood up and carried Ed onto the couch, letting him use his lap as a pillow. He finally removed that stupid wig he was wearing. It was a lot better to see him as Dad again. See him like he should be.

The action was met with even more camera flashes, though. Ed groaned inwardly. That was definitely going to make the front page.

He had felt sick with guilt when he had had to listen to every emotion he had put Dad through during that week when he was supposedly dead. Ed knew that it had been bad, but now he realised that he'd nearly destroyed him by doing this.

And so here Ed was, Dad gently stroking the top of his head while the journalists were all writing as if their lives depended on it. They needed as much time as possible so that they could make it into special edition focusing on "the true story behind Colonel Elric's death."

Ed had closed his eyes, not wanting to watch what would shortly become his doom. How the hell was he supposed to face the rest of team after this? Not to speak of the rest of Amestris. The toughest two weeks of his life was being covered in detail mostly from Dad's perspective.

But at least the angle wasn't that of a torturer.

Or even worse, child molester like they had tried to make him into because of a hug.

These people would really rather have a scandal than letting a hug be a hug. Ed guessed they felt kind of placated by the fact that Freeman had ordered him dead, though.

And so they had practically bled Dad dry for information about his feelings for him and Al. It was odd. And it was damn scary that everyone would suddenly know about this. Know that Roy Mustang was now their Dad.

"Turn'm'round," Ed fake-slurred. Not being able to move his body really was annoying. Ed just wanted to be turned around so that his face was hidden and he could keep a whispered conversation with Dad.

Dad did as he was asked and then gently began stroking his right cheek. It was a nice feeling that one. Mom had used to do that. It was a proper parent thing. And it made Ed feel so safe right now, even when he was this defenceless. It meant that he could fall asleep in a room full of strangers and still be absolutely safe.

"How are you doing, kid?" Dad whispered nearly inaudibly.

"I can't move my body yet, but my mind's beginning to work again."

"That's good."

"Yeah. Listen, I'm sorry about putting you through that again. It wasn't the plan. I shouldn't have let myself get taken out like that."

"Edward, none of us thought that they'd have someone in here who was ready to kill you. I'm just happy that you're unhurt."

"Still made you go through that again, though."

Dad sighed. "At least the rumours about me hurting you and Al will disappear for good. Without telling them what I have, there might have been people who still thought that I'd want to hurt you."

"Maybe, but now me and Al are a liability to you instead. Everyone in the country's gonna know that we're a point of weakness to you."

"We'll figure that out later. At least now we can actually act like father and son in the public. In a way I won't have to be your boss anymore."

"Yeah, but you can still boss me around though." Ed thought back to the lecture he'd received in the bathroom. Ed had basically given him even more power than he used to have. Now he actually had a right to meddle in his personal life.

And no matter how nice and comforting it was, it was still scary as hell. Ed was putting a lot of trust in this man.

"I guess I can."

Ed felt a wave of pain in his pride. "I can't believe that this is going to be in the papers." It was bad enough that most of the articles were written with focus on Dad's emotional journey, but they had kept asking Ed to confirm his own feelings to some extent and to make sure that the facts were right with "yes" and "no", sometimes accompanied by "kinda" and "maybe".

"Well, Ed, I didn't exactly want to expose my feelings like this either. But now they know the truth at least."

"I still think we should sue them for emotional trauma."

"How do you mean?"

"They made me listen to it. They made you have to talk about your feelings. And they gave me mental pictures that I will never be able to get away by suggesting that you were fucking molesting me and Al." Ed's mind was still screaming at the thought. It was just so disturbing. He was Dad after all. Their Dad. The one they had chosen. And to suggest that that was what he was doing, it was just sick bullshit. Ed would have shivered at the thought if he could.

"You know, you have a point there." Dad shivered.

"Then we have a plan."

"I guess so, kid."

"I miss my hair. The wig doesn't feel right. It's a lot better than the other one, but it's not my hair."

"Don't get me wrong, but I miss it too, Ed."

"I get you."

Ed fell asleep not long after.

Riza was handed the first copy of today's paper by the grinning editor and nearly choked at the headline. On the front page was a picture of the General sitting on a couch with Edward lying with his head on his lap.

MY SONS ARE ALIVE

Colonel Edward Elric lives.

Yesterday afternoon, Eastern Times received a surprising visit as no one else but Colonel Edward Elric stormed into the building, demanding that we exonerated General Mustang. When an attempt was made on his life, a second visitor, revealed to be Brigadier General Roy Mustang himself came barging in and saved the boy's life. He then pulled the drugged boy into a hug.

This turns out to be a much better picture of how their relationship is, as Colonel Elric himself refers to the man believed to have tortured him to death as "Dad."

"I have cared a lot for the Elrics for a long time and they have become my sons these last few months. I would never hurt them," General Mustang reveals. "I have been framed by a military organisation for the murders of my own sons and have been forced to go into hiding."

This special edition of the Eastern Times gives you the true story of what really happened to Colonel Elric and his Dad and how they got through the hardest two weeks in their lives.

Riza couldn't help it, she began laughing. Loudly. She knew that the story would be extraordinary and that the General had been looking uncomfortable, but she hadn't imagined that they would get this much out of him. And especially out of Edward.

No, she was laughing, because now the two of them had no excuse not to act like the family they were, and once they were reunited with Alphonse and all of this was over, then she had a feeling that her boss would be a lot happier than he had been in years.