Chapter 3: Parental Units Reporting For Duty
I'm sorry it took so long to get to this update. I've been pretty busy with school, exams, and Christmas stuff with my family. I've also been putting more focus in my other fic, Saving Maes Hughes. It's my pride and joy right now, but I certainly won't forget to update this one from time to time!
AnimeAddict1059: I'm sorry for making you wait this long! I wrote a nice long chapter to make up for all the time lost. Once again, I love your support! :D
Guest: Thanks!
Gummysaur: Aww, thank you! I'm glad I could brighten your life a little. :)
Five years later…
"Can you believe how big Elizabeth's gotten? She follows me everywhere! And little Maes looks just like me! I'll make a flame alchemist out of him yet! And my wife is amazing; isn't she amazing?!"
Team Mustang worked in relative silence as they listened to their commanding officer's daily tirade about how amazing his family is.
"Here we go again," Falman mused.
"Really," Breda agreed, nudging Fuery, "he's almost as bad as Hughes was."
"I think it's great," Fuery countered. "I'm happy for him."
"Well, as long as the general is obsessed with his wife and kids, we've got something to distract him if he gets mad," Havoc reasoned, smirking.
"What was that?" Roy asked, absentmindedly looking up from the photo album resting on top of his paperwork.
"Nothing, sir," Havoc said quickly. "We're just really happy for you."
"You can be happy on your own time," he told them, allowing a business-like tone to return to his voice. "Get back to work." Satisfied that his subordinates were doing their jobs, Roy went back to flipping through the album. He didn't get very far before the phone on his desk rang. Closing the album and putting it in his desk drawer, Roy picked up the phone and leaned back in his chair. "Hello?"
"The Fullmetal Alchemist is here to see you, General Mustang," his secretary told him.
"I told you to stop calling him that," Roy scolded her. "Tell him I'll be right down."
"You should be nicer to your secretary, General," Edward greeted him.
"Don't lecture me, Fullmetal," Roy said gruffly.
Roy's secretary refrained from commenting on the particular name her boss chose to address the visitor with. Despite losing his ability to perform alchemy, Edward never seemed to mind that his former commanding officer habitually called him by the state alchemist title.
"What do you want?" Roy asked.
The two men stared each other down for a few moments before simultaneously reaching into their pockets, producing a family photo, and shoving it into the other's face.
"Maes and Elizabeth turned five a week ago!" Roy announced, managing to get his declaration out before Edward's.
"My little girl is turning four today!" Edward proclaimed, waving the picture of his daughter for emphasis. "Four is cuter than five!"
Before the argument could escalate—as it always did—Winry walked in bearing a stroller with Sara strapped into it. "Stop it. This isn't a competition," she said, annoyed. "Ed, we came to invite General Mustang to Sara's party tonight, not compare our family to his."
"He started it," Edward scowled, but was silenced by Winry's glare.
"We'd love to be there," Roy told her, tucking the picture back in his pocket for later use. "How are you, Winry?" he added as an afterthought.
"I'm doing all right, thanks," she said. "How are you and—?" She was interrupted as her five-and-a-half-year-old son bolted from behind her, planted himself in front of Roy, and saluted.
"Victor Elric reporting for duty, sir!" he shouted.
Roy laughed and knelt down to Victor's level. "At ease, soldier," he said, saluting. "How old are you now?"
Victor paused a moment, then held five fingers up to show Roy. "I'm this many, sir! Big enough to fight bad guys and save the country!"
"I wouldn't say that," Roy said, grinning, "but you'll make a great soldier when you're older, I'm sure."
Victor grinned widely, taking the general's compliment very seriously. "I won't let you down!" he announced. "Daddy says I'm still too little to beat the bad guys, but I wanna be a hero like you."
Roy, still kneeling in front of Victor, flashed a small smirk at Edward. "Your dad told you I'm a hero, did he?"
Victor nodded. "Yeah, he did! He tells me stories about how you saved the country by doing this a bunch of times!" He tried to demonstrate by snapping his fingers, but he couldn't quite get the motion right with his little hands.
"How about I show you?" Roy asked, pulling his gloves on. Victor's eyes widened in delight as Roy clapped his hands together to form a circle, then snapped his fingers, creating a small flame.
"You saved the country with that?" Victor asked, staring doubtfully at the flame.
Roy put it out and stood up. "Wise guy, huh? Okay, stand back." Before Edward or Winry could protest, Roy clapped his hands together again, then created a huge, controlled blast with a snap of his fingers. The flame snaked around the room and even did a circle around Victor before disappearing without a trace.
"Whoa! That was awesome! Do it again! Do it again!" Victor shouted, jumping up and down excitedly.
"He really adores you," Winry commented, smiling kindly at Roy. "Edward tells him stories every night before bed, and he always asks about coming to see you."
"Don't get used to it," Edward scowled. "Your ego doesn't need to be any bigger than it already is."
"What's an ego?" Victor asked, turning to face Edward.
Winry smiled and shook her head. "You know kids repeat everything they hear, Ed."
"Yeah. Silly me." Edward rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'll see you at the party, I guess."
Victor's eyes lit up. "Are Maes and Lizzy coming?" he asked eagerly.
Roy smiled. "Of course they are."
"We'll see you later, General Mustang," Winry said. "Ed and I are getting our annual family picture done before the party."
"Have fun with that." Roy waved a quick goodbye to the Elric family, then retreated to his office once more.
"No! That's mine! Give it back!" Elizabeth shrieked, trying to pull a little stuffed animal out of her brother's hands.
"No, it's not!" Maes shot back, fighting to maintain his hold on the animal. "You never play with it!"
Elizabeth smacked his arm and shouted, "He took my toy! Daddy! He took it!"
"She hit me!" Maes cried.
"Both of you play nice or I'm turning this car around!" Roy retaliated. Both children fell silent, only to erupt into more fighting as soon as they realized the car was still moving.
Riza flashed him a small, tired smile. "It's been like this all day." When the fighting got loud again, Riza whipped around in her seat and gave them the Hawk's Glare. "If you want to go to the party, you'll either be nice or be quiet."
"But she hit me," Maes objected, then quickly fell silent when the Glare sharpened.
"One more fight, and we're going home," Riza told them firmly. Miraculously, this threat ceased all fighting in the backseat.
"What, they'll take you seriously and not me?" Roy huffed.
Riza laughed a little and rubbed his shoulder. "I'm around them more than you," she reasoned, "and I'm far more intimidating."
"Since when?" Roy didn't want to admit it, but she was probably right about that. Thankfully, the conversation was cut short when they pulled into the Elrics' driveway.
"Don't you dare compete with Edward again, Roy Mustang," Riza said sharply.
Roy's demeanor immediately turned submissive. "Yes, ma'am."
Riza smiled and shoved him playfully. "Still think you're more intimidating?"
Roy opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again, realizing he really had no counterattack for that one. She'd won this this round. Sighing, Roy got out of the car and unstrapped Maes from his car seat while Riza took care of Elizabeth. "Does that really belong to your sister?" he asked, eyeing the little stuffed animal in his son's arms.
Maes tightened his hold on it. "No, he's not. You gave him to me."
"Okay, well, why don't you leave him in the car for now so he doesn't get lost?" Roy suggested, holding his hand out. "He'll be safer in your car seat."
Maes contemplated this, then nodded and handed it over. "Thanks, Daddy."
Smiling, Roy set it back in the car, then faced Maes again. "Do you want me to put you down so you can walk yourself?"
Maes glanced at his mom, who was balancing Elizabeth on her hip. After deliberating a moment, he decided he wanted to be more grown up than his sister. "Okay," he finally said, "but don't let go of my hand, okay?"
"I won't," Roy promised, setting Maes down. He could tell by his son's iron grip that he probably preferred to be carried, but wanted to be brave and walk to the party on his own.
Winry let the family in with a smile, and no sooner were they in the door before Victor came running to greet them. "Maes! Lizzy!" His excited face quickly turned serious when he saw Roy, to whom he promptly saluted.
After saluting back, Roy knelt in front of the boy and ruffled his hair. "Good to see you again, little alchemist."
Victor's face lit up into a wide grin; he loved it when Roy called him that. "Good to see you, too, sir!"
"At ease, soldier." Roy's face turned mildly serious. "I have an important mission for you if you choose to accept it."
Victor leaned forward a little. "What is it?" he asked, trying to look serious as well, but shaking with excitement.
"I have a couple of bored little kids here with me," he said, gesturing subtly to Maes and Elizabeth. "They need someone to play with. Someone older who can protect them. Think you can handle it?"
"Yes sir!" Victor exclaimed. "I won't let you down, sir!" With that, he took off running to complete his mission.
"Geez, I really don't know what he sees in you," Edward scoffed from the doorway.
Roy watched Elizabeth squirm out of Riza's arms to play with the boys. Victor grabbed each of Roy's kids by the hand and ran toward the stairs, eagerly telling them about something cool he wanted to show them. "He's a good kid," Roy commented.
"He really is," Winry agreed. "Victor reminds me of Ed when he was younger."
"I can see it," Roy said, nodding. "He'll make a great alchemist, that's for sure."
"Try telling Brother that," Alphonse said pointedly.
"Hey, I just don't want him to grow up like we did," Edward objected. "He deserves a better life, and becoming a dog of the military is the last thing he needs." He tried not to picture his little boy in a military uniform, putting his life on the line every day on behalf of the government.
"Things are different now," Riza told him. "You know that."
Roy nodded. "State alchemists work for the good of the people. If Victor becomes one, he won't be used as a weapon like we were."
"Why the hell are we talking about my five-year-old son's future at my daughter's birthday party?" Edward demanded hotly. "I didn't know you were desperately recruiting children for the military now, General."
"Now wait a damn second! I never said anything about recruitment," Roy shot back. "And for the record, just because you lost your alchemy and your title doesn't mean you have to withhold that life from your child!" As soon as the words left Roy's mouth, he instantly regretted them. That was a low blow, and he knew he should not have said it.
"Roy, the children…" Riza warned him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
The two fathers turned, red-faced, to see the young trio standing side-by-side in the middle of the stairs. Maes looked afraid, but was trying to put a brave face on. Elizabeth was clinging to Victor's hand, and her eyes were shining with unshed tears. Victor himself looked confused beyond belief.
"Daddy, you don't want me to be a state alchemist?" Victor asked in a small voice.
Edward took a hasty step toward the stairs. "I never said that."
"Yeah, you kind of did," Roy mumbled.
"Roy!" Riza hissed, glaring daggers at him.
Seeing how badly this was escalating, Winry quickly stepped forward and took control of the situation. "Hey, kids, why don't we go upstairs for a little bit? Sara will probably be awake from her nap soon, so I'll need you to help me get her ready for the party, okay?" She brushed past Edward, sharply whispering "Work it out!" in his ear as she passed. "Victor, why don't you lead the way to Sara's room?" she said with forced cheerfulness.
Once they were out of earshot, Edward let out a long, angry sigh. "You don't get to decide my kid's future," he said with a note of finality in his voice. "I couldn't care less what you do with yours, but leave mine alone."
"I'm not trying to decide anything, Fullmetal," Roy told him. "I just made a comment, and you took it the wrong way."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Edward snapped, his voice rising.
Riza facepalmed, knowing Edward's temperament would definitely not take Roy's poor word choice well. "Can we please stop this? No one meant any harm. This is all just a big misunderstanding."
"Exactly," Roy agreed. "If Victor wants to be a state alchemist, that's his choice, not mine. I have nothing to do with it."
"Oh yeah? So you have nothing to do with the ideas you're stuffing in his head?" Edward challenged him.
"Are you trying to keep this going?" Roy demanded. "Need I remind you that you were the one who told him the war stories? I'm pretty sure that has a lot to do with his interest in alchemy. You and I are both heroes of Amestris, and if you told him what we did and who we are, then of course he'd want to be like us."
"No," Edward said bitterly, turning away from Roy. His voice was eerily quiet now. "Not like us. Like you."
Roy opened his mouth, then closed it, feeling the realization settle in. Edward had told the stories to his son without realizing the impact they would have on him. Instead of looking up to his father, who had given up all alchemic abilities for the sake of rescuing Alphonse, Victor idolized the man who led the upheaval in Central. The great flame alchemist who rose to the rank of general for continuing to fight for his people-oriented idealism. The man with a vision who had lost his vision, but unlike Edward, had gained back what was lost and resultantly maintained a hero dynamic long after the battle ended. This man, Roy himself, was the soldier, the hero, and the alchemist that Victor wanted to be. Because Edward was none of these things anymore, he paled in comparison to the great flame alchemist.
"Fullmetal…"
"Just go." Edward had his back to Roy, and he refused to turn around, knowing he had already revealed too much and consequentially injured his pride.
Roy took a tentative step forward. Knowing he was treading on thin ice, he kept his voice low, non-threatening, and gentle. "Hey, Ed, come on…"
"Get out of my house!" Edward shouted, whipping around to face him.
"Mommy, why were they yelling at each other?" Victor asked. "I thought Daddy and Mr. Mustang were best friends."
"All best friends fight, sweetie," Winry said softly as she picked an outfit for Sara. "Can you get a clean pull-up for me?"
Victor nodded and pulled one out of a nearby pack. "But they sounded so mad," he said, glancing worriedly at Maes and Elizabeth. "Does this mean I won't get to play with them?"
"I don't wanna go," Elizabeth said, sniffling. "I wanna stay here and play."
"Nobody's going anywhere," Winry promised, wrinkling her nose a little as she started to change her daughter.
"Eww." Elizabeth put a hand over her nose.
"I can do it," Sara insisted, trying to take the clean pull-up from Winry's hands.
Victor didn't seem to notice or care what was going on with his little sister. He was still worried about what he'd overheard. "Daddy's going to let me be a state alchemist, though, right?"
"You have plenty of time before you're old enough for that," Winry reassured him. "Right now, you're too young to even be thinking about it. You can't even transmute yet."
"But what if Daddy doesn't let me learn alchemy?" Victor asked anxiously. "He can't do it, so what if he won't let me?"
"Then my daddy can teach you," Maes said with certainty.
Victor's eyes lit up for a moment, but then his little face fell. "My daddy is mad at your daddy, though."
"You don't know my daddy, then," Elizabeth said, grinning widely. "Nothing ever stops him! If he wants to teach you, he'll do it!"
Winry sighed and helped Sara put her pants on, much to her daughter's displeasure. "You really shouldn't be worrying about this right now. When you're old enough to learn alchemy, you can learn alchemy." She quickly pulled her hands away from her squirming, protesting daughter. "Okay, Sara, fine! You can put them on yourself."
"I want Mr. Mustang to be my teacher," Victor said confidently. "Then I can be awesome like him, and I can play with Maes and Lizzie whenever I want to. Do you think Daddy will stop fighting with him soon so he can be my teacher?"
"Fights never last long," Winry assured him. "You fight with Sara all the time, right?"
Victor nodded. "Yeah. She can be so annoying sometimes." No doubt he had gotten that word from a parent.
"Am not!" Sara objected hotly. The four-year-old had no idea what "annoying" meant, but she knew an insult from her brother when she heard one.
"Anyway," Winry said quickly, "how long do your fights usually last?"
Victor thought a moment. "Not very long," he admitted.
"Well, there you go. Adults can say silly things sometimes, just like kids. Before long, your daddy and Mr. Mustang will say they're sorry and become friends again." Leaving Sara to figure out which shirt hole to put her head in, Winry knelt in front of her son and put a hand on his arm. "Your daddy loves you, and he wants to keep you safe. Because of that, he's worried about letting you learn alchemy or become a soldier, but in the end, I know he'll let you build your own future. He's in charge right now, but he won't be forever. One day, you will be all grown up, and when that happens, you get to decide what you want to be, and no one will stop you."
"Get out of my house!" Everyone jumped in surprise at Edward's shout.
"I don't think they're going to say sorry and become friends right now," Maes said nervously.
Winry tried to keep calm for the children, but there was definitely a serious talk lined up for her husband later. "Maybe not," she said, "but it'll happen later, I promise. Right now, I think they both need a nap. You know how Sara gets grouchy when she skips her naps?" Victor nodded. "Well, I think Daddy and Mr. Mustang are both very sleepy. We can have the party another day."
"Another day?" Sara chimed, sounding disappointed. "Not today?"
Winry nodded. "Maes and Elizabeth have to go home now, but we'll have a party for you tomorrow, okay?"
Sara crossed her arms. "I want cake," she grumbled.
"We can still have cake," Winry decided. "Victor, Sara, wait here. I'll be back." Without waiting for a response, she quickly rushed out of the room and down the stairs to calm the situation.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters. The kids are, in most respects, all mine!
AN: Well, that went in a completely different direction than initially planned, but hey, that's how writing works. I went in with a bad case of writer's block, and then the story just sort of…took over. Sorry I'm not as good at writing fluffy stories; there's always an element of conflict that worms its way into my fics for some reason. Ah well. It keeps things interesting. I can write fluff but, in general, looks like I can't write a story that is purely fluff and nothing else. There's gotta be some angst in there. Some depth. Deep and angsty, that's me!