Jc – Fuch is from 'Füchs' that, as far I know, means fox in German ; I'm not that creative with names XD
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"Change of Plans"
Edward growled in annoyance. He sat up in his bed trying to get his hair out of his face, and then he put a hand on his shoulder; his right shoulder. He was feeling slightly sore for a few hours now, but he thought it would just vanish. However, it had been a while since he had his last check up…
Reluctantly, he stood up of the bed since the pain was increasing and he had to do something before it got a lot worse. It was 3:45 in the morning though…The kid swore under his breath and headed to Roy's bedroom feeling uneasy; he didn't want to wake up the man at this hour because he couldn't handle a little pain, but he knew it wouldn't be 'little' in next hour.
Shyly, he knocked at the door, but it was open oddly enough since the man never locked it, but at least it was always closed at night. He took a peek to the dark room, but he quickly noticed that no one was in the bed. Confused, he went downstairs expecting to see Roy drinking coffee since that what he always did when he couldn't sleep, but nobody was there.
However, he glanced at the table and noticed a few books opened, so he the man had to be there somewhere. Twitch. The stupid pain again. He hurried to the door where an officer was looking television, an officer Mustang had hired a few days ago.
"Excuse me, have you seen Mus…Roy-San?", the kid asked placing a hand over his shoulder again.
The man nodded, "He went out, he should arrive pretty soon since he said it wouldn't take him long"
Damn it. Well, he only could wait at this point, so he went back to the dining room to check on the books Roy was reading before he left. The boy sat down and his golden orbits moved along the pages full of words trying to get what were these books about. He grabbed one and began to read trying to ignore the increasing ache on his right arm. 'Philosopher Stone?' He flipped some pages not quite sure what was so interesting in a legend anyway, but if Roy was reading all this it should be important somehow.
Finally, he heard the front door opening and Roy appearing at the living room with some books in his hands, looking at the kid dumbfounded, "Hey, what are you doing awake?"
"I was looking for you", the blonde answered, but hurried to ask before the man could say anything, "Where have you been anyway?"
Roy dropped the books in the table and took a seat, "I went to the National Library"
Ed narrowed his eyes confused, "At this hour?"
"I'm a Colonel and a State Alchemist", the man remarked with a smirk, "I can go at any hour I want"
"Right", Edward began to read the titles of the books, "What are you looking for?"
"I found something really interesting about your father", Roy began opening one of the books.
"...My father?"
"That's right. I was looking in one of my old and forgotten books and I found his nam-", Ed flinched when he noticed how the man was looking at him, "Are you all right?"
Golden eyes averted and he shifted in the chair, "Why you ask?"
"You're sweating and your left hand is shaking", he said as he stood up and approached the boy.
Damn it. "It's just…", his eyes narrowed when Roy put a hand on his forehead to check if he didn't have a fever, "My automail"
The raven-haired man kneeled and stared at the blonde for a moment, "It's hurting?". His concerned grew when the blonde nodded embarrassed. He then straightened up and hurried to grab the phone.
"Roy-Sa-"
But the man was already talking to someone, so the boy just stood there scratching the back of his head. Who could he be calling at this hour anyway?
"Let's go", the man announced suddenly pushing the kid out of the dining room.
"The hospital is pretty far from here", the boy said as he stood up.
Roy turned around to see him with a smile, "But we're not going to the hospital"
Twitch. "Where are we going?", he asked, a brow cocked, "Who did you call?"
Almost ten minutes later, Edward was laid down in a bed, his eyes narrowed hi annoyance. He heard someone moving something heavy and he turned his head to see an old woman walking towards him with some tools on her hand.
"I'm really sorry, Pinako-San", Roy apologized one more time, "I couldn't trust an automail to nobody else"
The woman smirked, "I'm glad to hear that. Alright, Edward-Kun, let's see your arm"
The blonde growled, but he took off his glove and his shirt and laid down again with a grumpy expression on his face.
"What's with the mood?", the woman asked him as she grabbed the arm and gently placed it in his working table next to the bed.
"Nothing"
"Don't like people touching your short arm?", she said mockingly.
Twitch again. "Not really", he hissed, "And don't call me short"
Pinako was about to say something – another tease of course – when Winry showed up with a thin can and a sleepy Al to his side. The blonde just turned his head slightly blushed in embarrassment.
"Here is the oil grandma", she said with an excited smile on her face, "Can I assist you?"
The old woman smiled softly, "Of course dear, come here"
Edward tried to focus his mind in something else, but it founded hard since, well, some ones were poking their hands in his arm.
"I knew you had an automail", the girl assured proudly.
The boy just averted his eyes. He saw Roy taking a seat to his side and watching the whole process with a concerned face.
"I'm not going to die, you know?"
Roy threw him a hard look, "Anything about automails are jokes, you know?"
The kid rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. "Sorry"
"How long since your last check up, kid?", Pinako suddenly asked catching his attention.
The blonde stared at her for a moment as he was calculating the time, "Two months I think"
Winry threw him a glare, "You know you have to have monthly checkups at this age"
He sweat dropped when he felt the accusing eyes of Roy in the back of his head, "I…forgot"
Roy sighed crossing his arms, "He will do it from now on, Pinako"
Flinch of pain. Edward screwed his eyes shut and the man threw Pinako a worried gaze, but the old woman just nodded assuring that everything was going just fine.
"Are you ready to the nerves' reconnection?", Pinako asked the boy placing the wrench in the spot.
The blonde flinched, but he nodded since he knew it had to be done. Roy just saw how Edward's face twisted – almost funnily – as he growled in pain, but soon it was over.
"Try to get some sleep, Edward. And please Roy, remember the monthly checkups if he doesn't"
The man nodded and Edward stood up testing the movement of his arm even thought he was still sore. "Again, thank you so much for this"
"I'll give you the bill tomorrow", Pinako said with a smirk, the man doing the same.
As they arrived to Roy's house, the boy was already rubbing his eyes dozed, so the man walked him to his room.
"Have some sleep, ok?", the man told him almost teasing him.
Edward just yawned and moved his hand as he entered his bedroom, "Good night"
"Good night, kiddo"
The blonde closed the door and Roy headed to his own room to do the same; he would have to forget about the brand new information for now since was exhausted. Tomorrow would be another day.
…………..
When Roy woke up the next morning, he almost jumped from the bed when he noticed it was already the 10:34. He'd never wake up that late. He grabbed his coat and ran downstairs just to see a half sleep Edward thinking something with books in front of him and Fuch under the table.
"Good morning", the man greeting him to what the kid just raised his hand, "What are you doing?"
"Looking for the information you said you found about my father", the boy answered after he drank his juice, "But you brought a lot of books about…the Philosopher Stone?", he added flipping a page.
He signed the maid to bring him a cup of coffee and sat down in front of the blonde, "Here, read this"
Ed grabbed the book and read the circled text as fast as he could, his eyes changing from shocked to confused to incredulous, "Are you saying this Van Hohenheim was my father? He would have been 400 years old! Don't be ridiculous"
"Than man created the last philosopher stone known, I'm quite sure he would have lived all that time if that was true"
The blonde threw Roy an odd look, "Do you believe…this? The philosopher stone?"
The man grabbed his coffee mug and leaned on the chair, "I did. Once", he said, his eyes looking at nothing, "But I think is worth to believe it now"
"Mh", Edward lifted a brow, "What could it mean to me anyway?"
Roy smirked, "That, my boy, isn't just the right question?"
The man opened another book and grabbed his jaw thoughtfully as he read, Edward just stared at him. Nobody said anything for almost 5 minutes, until Roy decided to look to the kid.
"According to this, he was the philosopher stone"
Golden eyes twitched, "What do you mean with that?"
"The philosopher stone was inside him", the man began with a finger over the sheet, but then he looked back to the boy, "Maybe…"
He certainly didn't like Roy's expression, "…Maybe?"
However, the raven-haired just shook his head and grabbed his coffee mug, "No, nothing"
Edward rolled his eyes and then frowned, "Tell me. Now"
"It was nothing", the man insisted waving his hand. But he just flinched when he saw the piercing gaze of the boy, that meant that he was being serious, "It was really…nothing"
"But still I want to know"
Right. He and his huge mouth, "What if…", the man began frowning, "If he really was your father, maybe you inherited some of it?"
The blonde blinked, and them a few times more, but he leaned on his chair staring at the man's face, "No, it just couldn't", he said quietly, "If that philosopher stone really does what it says it does, I…"
Silence. Roy watched how Ed lowered his head hiding his face with his bangs, "You?"
The kid clenched his hands around the glass, "I…I would have succeeded bringing my mom back"
Damn it. Roy closed his eyes repeating in his head what a fool he was, but he then noticed that Ed was already looking at him.
"Since I didn't, I think we will have to assume that can't be the reason", he said almost coldly.
That was it. Mustang closed the books and stood up to close the one Edward had in front of him making the boy look at him confused, "Go to change, we're going out"
"…What?"
"It's enough for today, I want to go out", the man said almost as an order.
Edward nodded still baffled, but did as told and went upstairs to get ready. Roy, in the other hand, stared at the books in the table worried. He was sure he was in the right lead and he didn't like it. At all. But this could explain everything, including why the Fuhrer and the Alchemists Union would be that interested in a little boy.
Trying to shake all that thoughts off his head, he went upstairs to take a shower. He wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but it didn't matter. He wanted to clear his mind for a few hours at least.
Almost 1 hour later, both were downtown, the boy with an ice cream on his hand and sitting in one of the public seats. Roy was a few feet in front of him flirting with a young woman who only blushed at every man's word. He couldn't help but roll his eyes and enjoy the dessert while it lasted.
They had been walking around buying books and stuff, just enjoying the Sunday. Roy wanted to kid to get distracted, although he thought he needed it too. And it certainly did when he found a lovely young lady.
However, he felt a pair of eyes piercing him from the back of his head. He excused himself and turned around to glare at the blonde, but he was just licking the ice cream with a wide smirk on his face. Then, he noticed another blonde staring at him, hard.
"H-hi", he greeted taken off guard, "Lieutenant"
Edward chuckled, he really found funny how the man got so nervous, like he was doing something that he shouldn't. He patted Hayate's head and saw how both adults took a seat with him.
"What are you doing around here?", Roy asked her.
"Just shopping for groceries", she answered smiling at Edward, "I'm glad you two go out once in a while"
"Will you like to join us to lunch?"
"Of course"
Ed just enjoyed watching how Roy behaved so politely around her, something he usually wasn't. He didn't say anything thought, but it was fun.
"Hayate, sit down"
The dog did as told and Riza gave him some bone shaped cookies which he enjoyed. Edward smiled and hoped Fuch was that obedient; the devil fox only heard him when he knew it would get something from him.
"Well, I'm going to buy the food. Wait me here" Roy announced standing up and disappearing in the crowd.
"You usually come here, don't you?", Riza asked the boy suddenly.
Edward nodded, "He likes coming here. This is where the ladies gather I guess"
Riza sighed in resignation. Yeah, that could be a reason, "And you?"
"Me?", the kid asked surprised.
"Do you like here?"
He looked at her for a moment, but then he nodded happily, "Yeah, I like in here"
The woman smiled him back and then Roy came back with a tray full of food taking a seat, "Well, be my guests"
In that moment, a couple of young women that were walking nearby threw a girly laugh between them. Roy of course recognized some of them
"Nice family, Mr. Mustang", one of the women said as they walked away with a girly laugh.
The three froze for a moment, but then sweat dropped slightly blushed. "Just…eat", the man said sighing.
"So, Roy", the woman began grabbing her drink, "Edward-Kun was telling me why you like to come here"
The man glared at the boy who was already pretending to be interested watching something else, "Whatever he said, it's not true"
"Are you sure?", she insisted lifting a brow.
Damn brat. When he was about to smack the kid in the head – or at least picture it in his head – he saw a soldier in front of them saluting them.
"Colonel Mustang, sir"
Roy stood up frowned as well as Riza, "Yes?"
"Sir, the Fuhrer requires you presence at the Headquarters immediately"
Oh no. "Understood"
As the soldier walked away, Roy and Riza hurried to clean the mess on the table and the man grabbed Edward's hand and the four – Hayate following Riza – hurried to the Headquarters since they were not too far from there.
…………
Roy knocked at the door and opened it when he heard the Fuhrer's voice telling him to come in. He closed it behind him and walked approaching the man's desk and saluted him.
"Sir"
"Colonel Mustang, I'm glad they could find you", the man said drawing a smile, "I assume you can guess why are you here"
The raven-haired man lowered his arm and felt how his forehead was all sweat, "Yes sir"
"We're leaving tomorrow", he said as he stood up, "I have to know where you are planning on keeping the boy"
Fuck. "Sir, with all the respect, I would feel a lot better if I was the only one who knows where the kid is. Walls have ears"
Bradley smirked, "I see"
"And", Roy continued feeling how his hands were all sweated, "I would like to ask you to let me go as a Colonel. I will serve as State Alchemist if needed though"
The man stared at Mustang thoughtfully for a few seconds, "So you want to bring your crew I assume"
"Yes sir"
The Commander in Chief grabbed his jaw analyzing the look in Roy's eyes. The man really had guts, "Granted, Colonel"
He sighed discretely and saluted the man, "Sir"
"You're dismissed. Get ready to leave at first hour tomorrow"
The Colonel nodded and turned around to leave the office feeling uneasy. It had been too easy, and the man's smile wasn't assuring at all. He hurried to the Headquarter entrance where Riza, Edward and Hayate were waiting for him, both with concerned gazes.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye, get ready to leave tomorrow and inform the rest of the crew", the man said frowned.
Riza's eyes widened, "Sir…"
"You heard me, we need to hurry", Roy insisted throwing her a look.
The woman then saluted the man, "Yes sir"
Edward saw how she turned around and left, Hayate at her side as always. He felt Roy grabbing his hand and pulling him to head to his house still frowned.
"Roy-San, what is going t-"
"You're going with me", the man interrupted him with his eyes still to his front, "Come on"
The blonde then didn't say another word and followed Roy uncertain of what he had on mind. It wasn't going to be easy at all.
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