Disclaimer: FMA belongs to Arakawa Hiromu
Notes: Part 11 of my Future storyling arc. See my note at the end for clarification about Sasha's name.
Fifty-four: O Child-sama
Alexander Mustang was born into a family full of love and laughter. Known affectionately as Sasha by his parents and their almost familial former workmates, he was the first of a handful to be born to the group of friends – and the only one born to two of them. As such he was doted upon from the very beginning, like the first nephew or grandchild.
He was of the tender age of two when he received the news that would change his life more than anything he'd encountered before. Soon, he was going to have a sister.
At first he didn't understand. What did they mean, another child in the house? Everyone else seemed quite pleased by the prospect, but a second Sasha would be too many! He already became fussy if someone else claimed his parents' attention for too long. They already didn't divert all of their focus onto him – more people stealing it away would make things impossible.
When his mother explained to him that the bulge in her belly that he was feeling kicking at that moment was his little sister, he became angry. She was already spending more time with someone who wasn't there than with him! A sulky slap landed on her belly, where the kicking had been happening, and she looked at him in surprise, holding his wrist firmly before he could try again. "No Sasha. You don't hit people. It may hurt them. Do you remember how you felt when Daddy smacked you for throwing your toys? That wasn't nice, was it?"
Still, Sasha didn't have to like the intruder.
It wasn't until a long time later – for, as a two year old, a few months was a quarter of his life thus far – that Sasha got to meet his sister properly. His father had lifted him up, hands securely around his chest, so he could stand on the edge of a window looking into a room with lots of babies. Most of them were sleeping, and they all looked the same to Sasha.
"There's your sister," his father was saying, with that warm tone of voice that made Sasha feel safe. This time, the tone wasn't there because of him, and Sasha felt scared.
He sniffled. "Daddy, do you still love me?"
His father turned him about, so they could face one another. One pair of eyes wide and shocked, and the other red and tearing up, they observed one another. "Of course, Sasha! You don't think we'll love Suri more than you, do you?"
Sasha didn't speak. He just reached out and wrapped his arms around his father's neck as tightly as he could manage. He would survive, somehow.
A/N: Yup, the name Sasha is a form of Alexander, somehow. It's a name for both boys and girls, and means "defender" or "defending men". I figure that's the sort of meaning Roy and Riza would appreciate.