Makin' Babies
Alphonse closed the door to the den, making Edie start. "What?" she asked, and he couldn't tell if she was blushing or worried from the expression on her face.
"We need to talk," Alphonse said, pausing next to one of the comfortable chairs. It really was a nice room, he thought absently; books on alchemy, medical procedures and automail lining the walls, as well as a few texts translated from the Xingese, and books on Creta, Briggs and Drachma, as well as history books on Xerxes, one of them bearing their father's name and very rare, as less than ten editions had ever been printed.
Edie set down the notes she was working on, frowning slightly. "What about?" She turned in her chair to watch Alphonse as he paced.
"What we talked about a while back." Damn it, this was harder than he expected.
The corner of her mouth tugged down. "You're going to have to be more specific, Al," Edie said dryly.
"Children. More specifically," he added, just as dry, "yours and Winry's. And the possibility of using my sperm to impregnate Winry."
Having the grace to flush, Edie slumped back in her chair. "Oh," she said, and now she glanced sideways.
"Oh." Alphonse began to pace. "Oh."
"What do you want me to say?" Edie grumbled, folding her arms.
"I don't know, maybe…tell me why this is a good idea?"
Edie blushed darker. "It's not like we're asking you to-to have sex with Winry!"
"No, but." Alphonse stopped, facing her. "What can I expect?" Spreading his hands, he went on. "I mean, if it doesn't take the first time, are we going to try again? And what about you?"
"What about me?" Edie asked, visibly tensing.
Alphonse clarified. "Well, what if you decide iyou/i want to have a baby? Who will you get for the father?"
Edie snorted. "I don't want to have a baby." Her expression turned inward and she dropped a hand over her stomach, rubbing it fitfully. "I dressed like a guy for a reason, Al," she muttered. "It wasn't just because it was easier to be a boy traveling the countryside. Granny told me that guys would hit on me, or worse." Her eyes hardened. "I didn't want that…I still don't."
Alphonse couldn't resist. "Not even from Ling?"
A blush exploded on her face. "No! What makes you think that damned prince – absolutely not!"
"Uh, huh." The grin spread. "Does Winry know?"
"Winry knows everything." Edie folded her arms again, her lower lip pushing out. Uncomfortable with it, yeah, but Alphonse wasn't going to just stop pushing. He told himself it wasn't to give Edie a taste of her own medicine.
"Everything?"
"Yes, damn it!" Flinging herself out of her chair, Edie paced the short distance of the room. "I even told her about Ling kissing me and how he offered to take us away to Xing." She muttered, half under her breath, "I think he just likes blonds, because he meant you, too." Her hand swung toward Alphonse. "Said something about having a set."
Alphonse thought, after hanging out in Rush Valley with Mr. Garfiel, as well as here with Pinako Rockbell, he was immune to blushing. That comment proved him wrong, and he could tell from Edie's wicked smirk that she caught his reaction. "That's neither here nor there," Alphonse argued. "Unless you're taking Ling up on his offer?"
"Hell, no!" Edie slapped the back of one of the chairs. "Not for any reason," she added darkly, and pointed at Alphonse. "If you want to go to Xing and take up with that little bean girl, that's your business. I'm not interested in anyone but Winry."
"Okay, so you don't want kids," Alphonse soothed, holding up his hands to keep his sister from actually attacking. "Except with Winry." When Edie jerked her head in a nod, he went on. "And you want my sperm so the baby will look like both of you."
"Yes," Edie said, still suspicious. "What's going on, Al? You were okay with this when we talked about it before!"
"So, what are my rights to the child?" There. Finally. He'd asked.
Edie cocked her head, frowning. "Your rights?"
"The baby will be mine, too, well, by blood." Alphonse sat down finally. "By my sperm."
"Yeah." Edie twitched and took her chair again. "Well, we want to raise the baby as ours," she said slowly, "when it gets old enough to understand, we'll explain you're the dad. Biologically." She glanced at Alphonse. "And if anything happens that we wouldn't be able to take care of the baby, of course you'd be the one to get him or her. If something happens to me…I'd want you to take care of Winry." She twisted the ring on her finger, the one Winry had placed there when they'd made their pledges to each other. "And the baby. I'd expect you to keep them safe." Her steady gaze held Alphonse's, showing just how serious she was about it.
"Of course," Alphonse said. "You know."
"Yeah." Edie nodded, her gaze dropping finally to the desktop, to her hands on top of it, to the ring she wore. "So, Al, do you want to help us, or not? You can say 'no'." She looked through her bangs at him.
Alphonse sighed. "Fine," he said, "I'll do it."
The grin swept over Edie's face. "Thanks, Al." She flung herself out of her chair. "I'm going to tell Winry!" Hesitating before she left the den, she pointed at Alphonse, "You're the best baby brother, ever!" and pounded out of the room.
Staring after his sister, Alphonse clapped his forehead. "Oh, god, what did I agree to?" Of course, he knew the answer and now, for sure, he couldn't back out. Blowing out a puff of air, he muttered, "This better work the first time. I'm not doing this again." But that was probably a lie. Stupid sister and her wife, wanting babies.
