"As long as rules exist, someone will break them. That someone won't be you." Edward was leaned against his son's bedroom doorframe. The child was reading a book in his bed not-so-sneakily after he was supposed to be long asleep. The book, Ed quickly recognized, was from his own collection and had been on his shelf as of dinner. "When did you swipe that?"

Cecil blinked, still surprised to have been caught.

"I'm not angry." Ed sighed, pushing off the door and closing it behind him before walking closer to the bed and plucking the volume out of his son's hand. "I told you that you're welcome to anything I have." He inspected the cover carefully. It was canvas and etched with black ink with designs that more suited a romance novel than a dense book about transmutation of plant materials in his personal opinion. "Taking up fashion?"

"It's just interesting that you can make clothing out of grass." Cecil shrugged and his father had to laugh.

Cecil had always been interested in alchemy, even when he was young. Despite the fact that Winry wasn't in any way against it, she didn't want him growing up and getting into trouble. She had the right to worry, Ed recognized, given she'd grown up living with one boy who only had two human limbs and another that didn't have any sort of body. It was rational that she didn't want the same sort of potential overshadowing her own children's lives.

Ed had resigned to promising his eldest he'd teach him anything he wanted to know when he was older. Winry had already privately designated thirteen to be an acceptable age.

Cecil was only nine as of his birthday yesterday.

The workaround had naturally been that Ed wasn't teaching his son anything and nor was the boy's uncle. Technically, Cecil was teaching himself and Ed was making sure he didn't do anything stupid.

Thus the mantra "that someone won't be you."

"She's going to find out one of these days if you don't go to bed on time." Ed scolded, taking the book out of his hands and placing it in the nightstand drawer, out of the immediate line of eyesight should his wife come into the room. "And then we'll both be in trouble."

Cecil sighed and leaned back against the wall behind his bed with a frown.

"Why so serious, small-fry?" Ed teased, earning him a raised eyebrow. He chuckled to himself.

"You keep telling me I'll hit a growth spurt, dad, but then you say things like that!" He whined. He'd already been self conscious for the past year that he was shorter and skinnier than most of his classmates and he wasn't even double-digits yet.

"You will." Ed rolled his eyes. "What's got you up so late reading?"

Cecil shrugged, but he also crossed his arms and looked at the floor. There was a lack of violent outburst, but the corner of Ed's mouth still quirked in amusement thinking of just how similar he and his son were.

"You can tell me, you know?"

"You're going to be mad." Cecil shrugged again.

"Will I?" Ed raised an eyebrow. "That's not much of a surprise is it? Your Uncle Al says I'm always angry."

Cecil looked up just long enough to grin at his father.

"Yeah, well." Was all he said before shrugging again. At least, Ed thought, the smile was still there. "I don't know. You travel a lot."

"Oh." It wasn't his best choice of response, but it had slipped out before he could think of anything better. It wasn't untrue, he traveled for work a lot. He wasn't an alchemist anymore technically-speaking, it was hard to be an alchemist if one couldn't actually perform alchemy. He still did research though, as did his brother. Sometimes they both traveled, though not so often together, and they'd meet up. Al was a teacher in Xing these days. Ed hadn't really settled into a stagnant job yet and Winry hadn't protested it. He always came home—

"Dad?" Cecil brought him back down to earth. "I didn't mean to make you angry."

"I'm not angry." Ed countered.

"Oh…you're crying."

Was he? Ed laughed.

"How often do you cry when you're angry, Cecil?" He snorted, wiping at his eyes for a second before forcing a smile. "Because if you're getting that angry, we need to talk."

Cecil rolled his eyes and again Ed was reminded of himself. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"I do travel a lot." Ed agreed finally. "Would you like it if I stopped?" He wasn't sure how soon he could find something new. He'd probably have to uproot everyone, most major schools were in Central. Winry might not mind, now he thought about it, it'd make her infrequent work-related travel easier at the least. More trains to anywhere left from Central than from Resembool.

The kids would have to start over…and they'd need a new house, did they even have the money for that right now? Money was in no way excruciatingly tight, especially not with both of he and Winry working, but a house was an expense if there ever were one. If they sold this property, maybe they could swing it, but even he was a little hesitant to let such a big piece of who they were go.

"No." Cecil shook his head. "I don't want you to stop." He seemed to think for a minute. He bit his lip this time, but sometimes he would stick his tongue out. After what felt like forever—Ed was sure he had stopped breathing—Cecil looked at him again, directly in the eyes, with nothing but sheer determination on his face. "I want to come with you."

Ed blinked in surprise, that was absolutely not what he was expecting.

"You get to see cool places and do new things and find cool books and artifacts, dad!" He pleaded. "I want to go, too!"

And he laughed again, but this time it was so hard he did actually struggle to breathe. Ed wasn't sure if he was laughing from relief, knowing his son didn't hate him for traveling frequently enough to miss some important milestones or if it was because he should have expected this is where the conversation was headed. Cecil had a one-track mind and right now it was set on adventure. Ed couldn't say he blamed him, Resembool was as safe as neighborhoods came.

Cecil was also nine years old.

He was crying again, now from laughing much harder than was appropriate and Cecil looked moderately irritated.

"How about I make you a deal." Ed said once he'd finally regained his breath. "You finish this school year strong, there are only two weeks left, and I'll take you with me to visit your Aunt and Uncle in Xing."

Al and Mei normally travelled to Amestris when the families visited. Mei had fallen in love with her husband's home country one everything had been sorted out all those years ago. They also had the advantage of having only one child where Winry and Ed had two (and sometimes a third to babysit). Winry's work didn't allow for extended periods of time away from home and that didn't help them visit much either. The last time they'd gone, Cecil had been two and their daughter an actual infant.

Cecil seemed to think about his options carefully.

"Yes. That will work." Ed had to put actual effort in to keep from laughing again, the boy's answer had been so serious.

"Good." Ed nodded, ruffling his son's hair and standing up. "Should I tell your mom today or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow…when I'm at school please." Because he didn't want to get in trouble. Ed didn't bother to tell him that his mother probably wouldn't actually mind. As long as he wasn't missing school and he was supervised, she'd be fine with it. "And Bronwen can't come."

"To school or to Xing?" Ed played stupid.

"To Xing!"

"We'll have to figure out something she can do with us, then."