These next couple chapters are going to focus on Roy and Ed, so they're going to be fluffy and we'll see more of their at home life. I'm not stressing over these chapters so much... they're easier to write, so you can expect another chapter soon. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't FMA or its characters.
I own Oliver Cooper and Louis Tichs.
Chapter 7
Roy worked at his desk, shuffling through the large stack of paper work. Ed sat on the edge of his desk staring at the ring on his finger. It was made out of white gold he rotated the ring around his finger. He slipped it off and examined it. The surface was completely smooth, but the inside was engraved with the words 'To my one and only'. Ed blushed a bit he spun in his spot on the desk and stared at Roy, "You're such a dork…"
"Hmm?" Roy didn't look up from his work.
"I didn't realize until now you had it engraved…" Ed said thoughtfully.
"Mmmhmm," Roy mumbled absently.
Ed sighed and rested his left hand on his stomach. Eight months and quickly approaching nine. Ed couldn't deny that he was scared, terrified actually. Oliver had made it clear to him, 'you don't have a birthing canal, so we're going to have to perform a cesarean section.' Ed shook with fear just thinking about it. Even more terrifying to him the operation wasn't going to be performed by Oliver, the only doctor he liked and trusted.
"You're not even listening to me…" Ed whimpered, trying to distract himself.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Roy teased with a cocky smile.
Ed did not look amused which only made Roy chuckle, "If looks could kill…" He stood up from his seat and placed a kiss on Ed's forehead. "What was it you were saying…?" Roy placed his hands on Ed's belly.
"I… just hadn't realized you had gotten the ring engraved…" the blonde said placing his hands over Roy's
"Did it myself…" Roy said with a smile. He placed a line of kisses on Ed's belly before he sat back down and rifled through his papers again.
"I'm so bored…" Ed uttered with a sigh.
"Then you should've stayed home…" Roy replied, annoyance slipping into his tone. He flipped the page of the report he was reading.
"I would've been bored there too…" Ed whined.
"You're on maternity leave, you're not supposed to be here… besides you could've been planning the wedding. I told you I wouldn't be able to entertain you… I'm trying to get all my work done before I take my leave… I want to do the least amount of work possible while I'm at home… so I can help take care of you and the baby…"
"I know… I know. I appreciate it by the way… how much effort you're putting in now…"
"Are you saying I normally don't give any effort?" Roy asked teasingly
"You know what I meant…" Ed sighed.
"Just hang on for a few more minutes… I'm almost done with this report…" Roy said shoving his nose back into the paperwork.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Roy hung up his coat and placed his keys on the kitchen counter. Ed plopped himself down on the couch. Their coffee table was littered with pamphlets, color swabs, and brochures. Just looking at it all stressed him out. He spread out on the couch with a sigh. He started rubbing his belly soothingly. Roy leaned over the edge of the couch, "What's wrong?"
Ed rubbed his face and groaned, "This is just so much work… and it stresses me out… can't we just elope?"
"Well… the ceremony is more for our friends and family than it is for us…"
"Can't it just be the two of us then we can send out a notification saying we're married?"
"Ed, you remember how excited Winry and Al were… don't take that away from them… I know you're stressed… but try to stick with it… soon enough we'll be married and all this will be over."
"Not soon enough…" Ed grumbled.
"I didn't realize you were so eager to become Mrs. Mustang…" Roy teased.
"Mr.!" Ed corrected with a hiss.
Roy placed a kiss on his nose, "I know hon, I was only teasing…"
A comfortable silence settled between them before Edward spoke again, "but… doesn't it bother you… technically this child will be a bastard…"
"Don't say that!" Roy snapped angrily.
Ed's eyes widened in shock, he felt overwhelmed with guilt now. He sat up, "Roy… I didn't… I-I didn't mean it like that…"
"You just called our child a bastard…" He growled with irritation.
"Of course I didn't mean it… I was only saying…"
"That shouldn't matter Edward. Our relationship is already considered unconventional."
"I'm sorry…" Ed said sadly. "I just… I feel like this would be a lot less stressful if we either put the wedding on hold until after I have the baby, or if we eloped before he or she is born… I mean… you were the one who said that I should try not stress myself out… and this isn't helping…"
"…Well, I can see where you're coming from…" Roy gently ran his fingers through Ed's bangs, pushing them back to reveal his forehead.
"I'm stressing enough over the operation as it is... and pilling a wedding on top-"
"You're stressing about the C-section?"
"I'm scared shitless." Ed admitted.
"Why don't you tell me these things…?" Roy's thumb gently stroked Ed's cheek.
"You're already working so hard… and I see how much it wears you out…" He pushed his hand away from his face.
"That shouldn't matter. You're my fiancée… soon to be my husband, you should feel like you can come to me with anything."
"And I do feel that way… I just also don't like to inconvenience you…"
Roy was silent for a considerable amount of time, "Well… how about we hold off on the wedding, elope and then we can have the actual ceremony sometime after you have the baby… then he can be in the ceremony itself…"
"I think I really like that plan." Ed said with a smile, "and then I won't be all bloated and pregnant for the ceremony."
"You're radiant." Roy complimented with a smile. He leaned over kissing Ed sweetly before he straightened up, "This way, I can knock you up again on our wedding night."
Ed scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Think again colonel…"
Roy smirked, "I'll turn in paperwork tomorrow and request that the private ceremony be held Friday… sound good?" Ed only nodded in response.
"Okay…" Roy said yawning, "I'm going to bed… I'm out of energy for the day…"
"I'll be along shortly…" Ed replied. Roy went to their bedroom, shortly after Ed could hear him snoring. He sat up and looked at everything spread over the coffee table. He gathered it up into a relatively neat pile and shoved it under the table, trying to ease his worry and move his stress to the back of his mind. He heaved himself up off the couch and walked into the kitchen to get a glass of milk. A calendar hung on the wall, the date April 28 was circled, only two weeks away.
Ed took a drink of his milk. He stared at the calendar and he was set on edge again. He felt nauseas staring at the date, so he took the calendar down off the wall. He closed it and placed it on the kitchen counter. He felt the familiar kicking of the baby, "You must've just woken up." The baby continued to kick, "I know… you want out, huh? Well I for one, I can't wait either… and I know your daddy is excited too." The baby stopped kicking for a minute and then started again. Ed sighed and downed the rest of his milk, he headed off to bed even though he knew he wouldn't sleep.
The next day Ed didn't get up until late. He rolled out of bed around 9. Roy had probably just left for work. Ed yawned walking out to the kitchen. The calendar was hung up again, but April 28 wasn't just circled. It had hearts drawn all over it and a little note from Roy was scrawled in his messy handwriting. 'don't be scared.' Ed couldn't help but smile. The phone rang, waking him out of his stupor. He answered, "Mustang residence…"
"Brother! I was just wondering when you wanted Winry and I to head over for the wedding…? Seeing as how it's in like two weeks…"
"About that Al, Roy and I have decided to put it off."
"Is something the matter? Did you guys get into an argument… wait no, you're always arguing so it couldn't be that…" Al was muttering to himself.
"Nothing like that… it's just a little too much for me to plan right now…"
"Oh yeah… Right, with the baby being born…"
"Yeah, the week after next is the appointment for the c-section… so we talked about it and we're just postponing it until after the baby is here…"
"Oh! Alright… well that kinda voided my next question…"
"Which was…?"
"What did you want as a wedding present…?"
"Nothing…" Ed replied
"Brother…." Al said with a sigh.
"Well we'll just get him a dog!" Winry said loudly in the background."
"Don't get me a dog!" Ed yelled into Al's ear.
"Hush Ed, of course we're going to get you a wedding gift…" Al said insistently. A loud thud sounded through the phone and then the familiar wail of Trisha Elric pierced Ed's ear. "Gotta go!" Al said quickly. The line went dead.
Ed hung up the phone. He looked at the fridge and saw the paper he and Roy had been using to keep track of baby names. Roy hadn't written any girl names fully convinced their first born would be a boy. The names he'd come up with were written out neatly, Theodore; Arthur; Henry; William; and Benjamin. Ed only had one boy name picked out, Rory, but even then he still wasn't sold on it. He had picked out more girl names than anything, Ariel; Ella; Ruby; Belle; Violet; and Nina were all his favorites. It's not that he didn't want a boy… he just… couldn't think of any names. Ed stared at the paper a moment longer before moving to the living room and taking his regular seat on the couch. He took a deep breath trying to comprehend just how fast his life was going to change in a little less than 2 weeks.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
They sat in the waiting room. The calendar on the reception desk read April 28. Ed shook in his seat. Roy's gazed was fixed on him, and slowly his eyes shifted towards his belly. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Ed's temple. His hand gently rubbed the surface of his swollen stomach, "Don't worry… everything is going to be fine. They'll give you anesthesia… you won't even know what's happening, and I'll be right there with you!"
"I know but… everything is going to be so… different… and I-"
"Edward Mustang." They both shot up. The nurse smiled at them, "follow me this way please…"
"I still can't get used to how that sounds…" Ed muttered.
"I honestly never thought I'd hear it." Came Roy's reply.
As they entered the room he grabbed Ed's hand, "Deep breaths… We're gonna be fine…" Ed squeezed tightly.
The nurse led them to a room, "Please put that on…" She said pointing to a hospital gown neatly folded on the nicely made bed. "Soon the doctor will be with you."
"Thank you…" Roy said as she left the room. Ed grabbed the gown and walked to the bathroom door.
"Y'know you could just change in here." Roy said, a smirk plastered on his face.
"Tch. Yeah, how about no…" Ed rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Roy sighed, "This is going to be the last time I see you pregnant… for a while…"
"A while…? Oh you better be sure it's going to be a long while…" Ed snapped back.
Roy only smiled and shrugged. Ignoring his request Ed stepped into the small bathroom. There was a toilet and a small shower hugged up against the wall. A mirror and sink sat nestled between the toilet and the wall closest to the door. He took off his shirt and stared at his large belly in the mirror. He slipped off the rest of his clothes and slid the white gown over his head. When he emerged from the bathroom Roy was talking with the surgeon, Dr. Kiersht.
He was an older gentleman, average height, glasses, and bald. "Well… I'm glad to hear from such a supportive husband… I'm sure he's glad to have you…"
Ed closed the door rather loudly trying to catch their attention. Both men were now focused on Ed, "Ah, Mr. Mustang, I was just informing your husband, right now, we're getting ready for the operation. In about half an hour they'll walk the two of you to the operating room. 15 minutes before they bring you to the operation room they'll come in and give you a spinal epidural… alright?"
Ed nodded nervously and crawled onto the bed. Roy stood on the other side of the bed opposite the doctor. The doctor must've noticed how scared Ed looked, "You have nothing to worry about. You're in capable hands… Oh… excuse me gentlemen" He smiled and pushed his glasses up on his face before he turned on his heel and sped off down the hall.
About 20 minutes later a nurse came in with a little metal trey which held a shot. "Colonel Mustang, sir, I'm going to ask you to hold him still." Roy grabbed onto Ed's shoulders. Ed in turn looped his arms around Roy's trying to steady himself. He arched his back slightly at the pain, but then relaxed. "All done…" She said cheerily, "I'll be back in 15 minutes…" Ed nodded in response and leaned back into the bed.
"How do you feel?" Roy asked feeling rather nervous.
"mmnn… tingly…" Ed replied calmly.
The colonel frowned, "Yeah? I'm glad to hear tha-" He stopped mid-sentence when he heard Ed start to sob. "Babe…? What's wrong?"
Ed shook his head, "I can't do this… I'm not ready… I'm not ready… What if something goes wrong and… we lose the baby? What if I don't make it…?" He somehow managed to choke out the words between sobs.
"Hey! The doctors won't let that happen." Roy kissed away his tears. "Calm down. Everything's going to be fine. The baby's going to fine… you're going to be fine… we're gonna be fine…" Ed nodded sniffling. He rubbed at his eyes. Roy wrapped his arms around him, holding him comfortingly and they stayed like that.
Eventually the nurse knocked on the frame of the open door before entering she was pushing a wheeled bed type thing. Roy let go of Ed gently rubbing his back. Then the nurse and Roy helped Ed clumsily climb onto the cot type thing and they headed to the operation room.
They wheeled in Ed and placed him in the center of the room. Next to the table was a chair for Roy. After he was dressed in the same sterilized garb as the doctors, he sat down and grabbed hold of Ed's hand. Ed couldn't feel much but he could feel Roy shaking. Roy raised Ed's hand to his mouth and kissed gently. Ed looked at him tearful with fear. A big screen was put up just over Ed's belly so that neither of them could see anything.
Ed's head lolled lazily to the side and he stared at Roy, Roy stared back. They sat in that room for 50 minutes give or take, before a shrill cry pierced the room. Quickly a nurse held up the baby to show the new parents. "Congratulations on your new baby boy…" that was all they saw of him before he was whisked away to be bundled up. About 15 minutes later the same nurse returned, "Baby is resting in your room…" Ed was still lying on the table, he couldn't imagine what they were doing to him… probably giving him stitches now. "Does dad want to stay here or go with baby?"
"I'll sta-" Roy was cut off.
"Go…" Ed mumbled tiredly. Roy smiled sweetly and placed a kiss on Ed's forehead before leaving the room with the nurse.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ed was sitting up in his hospital bed holding his son for the first time. Tears pricked at his eyes. Roy had a huge grin on his face, "I told you it was a boy…"
Ed laughed happily and his tears pooled over, "I can't… I can't believe this…"
"He's beautiful…" Roy commented. Ed nodded in agreement, "I was thinking Theodore…?" Roy asked unsurely.
"Pssh. No." Ed replied softly. The baby breathed softly in his sleep. "That's an old man name…"
"It's not!" Roy exclaimed quietly.
Ed was silent in thought for a while, "I like Milo."
"Milo…?" Roy said testing out the name. "Hmm… I actually like that… Milo Elric-Mustang."
Ed smiled and gently placed Milo in Roy's arms. "I'm tired… I need to rest."
"You deserve all the rest in the world." Came Roy's reply.
Ed smiled, "Hmm." His eyes were fixed on Roy whose full attention was on Milo. Slowly Ed's eyelids got heavier and heavier before he drifted off to sleep.
When Ed woke up a few hours later they had visitors. Hawkeye sat at the far end of the room and Hughes stood next to the bed by Roy. He stared over Roy's shoulder at the newborn baby. "And what did you say his name was again? Michael?"
"Milo…" Roy corrected.
"Ahh… that sounds about right…" Hughes leaned down a bit, "Hello Milo…" He said in a high pitched baby voice. "I'm your Uncle Hughes."
"Is he awake?" Ed asked sitting up.
"Oh, you're awake." Roy said cheerily, "Yes… he's just got up…. Would you like to hold him?" Ed nodded and Roy placed their son in his arms. Ed stared down at Milo whose big blue eyes stared right back at him. Ed pulled his little blue hat back a bit revealing a mess of black hair on top of his head.
"Why are his eyes blue…? Neither of us have blue eyes….?"
"Actually, all baby's eyes start off blue… they change color after a certain amount of time…" Hawkeye said from across the room.
"She's right…" Hughes confirmed, "Elicia's eyes were as blue as the ocean… it took a few weeks before they transitioned to green, every baby is different."
Ed looked back down at Milo in his arms, "He's gonna be a clone of Roy I'll bet… his eyes are dark blue they look like they'll just get darker."
Roy shrugged, "He'll be a looker that's for sure…"
Ed rolled his eyes, "Did you call Al and Winry?" Ed asked his gaze shifting from Roy to Milo, trying to match how many features they shared.
"Yep. First thing… They're gonna be here tomorrow."
Ed smiled at that, "When do we get to go home? I hate it here…"
"The doctor said it depends… some people recover faster than others… He said we could go home after you feel comfortable…"
"I feel fine… so we can go?"
A nurse knocked on the door, "I'm afraid it's mandatory you stay the night just so we can monitor you and baby, but you'll be allowed to return home tomorrow morning. On another note, I'm here to ask if you've decided on a name, I would like to submit your paperwork so I can get you his birth certificate."
"Milo." Ed replied.
"Milo. M-I-L-O?" She paused. "Elric-Mustang?" She questioned and they nodded in response. "Okay. I'll be right back with the birth certificate." She left the room and everything was quiet except the soft gurgling that came from Milo. He squirmed in his dad's arms and his arms flailed about wildly. His face started to turn red and little Milo began to tense up.
"What's he-" Before Ed could finish asking his question Milo's ear splitting scream filled the air. He cried and his arms flailed about wildly. "Ahh!" Ed was frantic. He rocked baby Milo in his arms gently. "I don't know whats wrong…!? Roy help!"
"I don't know… I'm new at this too! Maybe he's hungry?" Roy suggested.
Just then the nurse appeared once again at the door. "Here I have his birth certificate, and this is a bottle of formula don't worry it's specially formulated by the hospital, it has all the same nutrients as breast milk… we're going to give you a couple months' worth and when you run out just come back and get more…" She handed the bottle to Ed and the birth certificate to Roy. She looked at Hughes and Hawkeye. "I must apologize but visiting hours are over… baby and daddy both need to rest." Hughes and Hawkeye both congratulated them one last time before they left.
Ed kept Milo close to his chest while he held the bottle and Milo greedily drank. Eventually the new little Elric-Mustang passed out and Ed laid him down in the little rolling crib the nurse had brought for him. Ed moved over on the bed. "Roy… come sleep next to me? Please…"
"Of course…" Roy climbed onto the bed next to Ed. He rested his head on Ed's chest and Ed's hand rested on his head. They talked quietly before they both slipped off into a deep slumber.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
They arrived home around noon the next day. Roy carried in Milo who was sleeping in his car seat. Ed had a diaper bag slung over his shoulder. They opened the door to reveal none other than Alphonse and Winry seated on the couch. Trisha was playing on the floor. Obviously they had made use of the spare key Roy had given them.
"You're home!" Winry exclaimed.
"Shh…" Ed snapped tiredly, "The only thing this one likes to do is cry." He let the diaper bag tumble to the floor.
Roy gently put the car seat down. Winry excitedly leaned over peering at the small baby. "How much does he weigh?"
"I think it was 5 pounds, 7 ounces…" Roy replied.
"What a tiny baby… Trish was like 7 pounds…"
"I'm guessing he's gonna be small like Ed." Roy said with a smirk.
Ed scowled, "Shut up!" He barked.
Al was now standing over the car seat too, "Milo… that's such a fitting name… Brother, he looks like you!"
"Are you kidding? He's like a baby version of Roy…" came Ed's response.
"No… he has your eyes…" Winry said.
"Wait, what?" Ed and Roy both asked stupidly. They heard small whimpers coming from the car seat indicating their son was awake. Winry reached in and undid the buckles picking him up.
"Yeah… I mean look at him!" she held him so Ed and Roy could both see. Now instead of big round blue eyes, two golden ones stared back at them.
"I didn't realize… his eyes would change so quickly…" Roy said in astonishment. Ed shook his head in agreement. Milo's golden orbs blinked tiredly.
"Hi Milo! I'm your Auntie Winry… This is your Uncle Al, and that's your Cousin Trisha." She sat down on the floor next to Trisha and gently placed Milo down on his back. He stared at the faces and things around him with curious eyes.
"How are you healing up Ed?" Winry asked while offering Milo her finger which he grabbed.
Ed lifted up his shirt revealing his stitches, "it doesn't hurt anymore… unless I touch it…"
"Consider yourself lucky you didn't have to go through labor…"
"Oh I do… I am so grateful…" Ed said dropping his shirt.
"And you don't even have stretch marks?!" She exclaimed with jealousy.
"Well yeah… but I'm gonna have a big scar going across my stomach.
"How'd Roy hold up? Because Al was a nervous wreck…"
"So was Roy…though he tried to keep it under the surface… which was good… I mean it helped me to stay calm…"
"Hey! We're right here…" Al said
"Yeah… don't talk about us like we're not here…and I was not nervous!" Roy said defiantly
Ed gave Roy a look before his gaze shifted to Winry and he mouthed the words, 'he was scared.'
"Not as freaked out as you were…" Roy replied snarkily.
"Of course I was scared, I was about to be cut open!" Ed yelled with exasperation.
"Hey… why don't you two stop squabbling?!" Al said, "I mean… you can't fight in front of your son like that… It'll rub off on him."
"One Ed is bad enough… We don't need a second…" Winry teased.
"I can't stand any of you…" Ed said snarling. He grabbed the diaper bag off the floor and slung it back over his shoulder. He stooped down and picked up Milo and carried him to the nursery. He gently placed him on the changing table so he could change him into a nice clean diaper.
Roy stood in the doorway. "Hey… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to upset you…"
Ed sighed, "No… it was nothing… my hormones are just out of whack… and I'm tired…" He threw the dirty diaper in the trash and then re-buttoned Milo's onesie. He found a cute little blue and white polka dot hat and slipped it on his head.
Roy was silent, afraid to incriminate himself. "If you're tired, do you want to take a nap? I can watch Milo…"
Ed placed their baby in Roy's arms, He headed for the kitchen, "No I'll just have some coffee…" He replied walking into the living room. Roy trailed behind cradling Milo who was watching his father intently. "This is my first cup in 9 months…"
"Brother… didn't you drink some before you knew you were pregnant?"
"Hmm… Oh yeah… then like 7 months…" He replied
"Hey Ed, I was thinking I could help you plan out the ceremony…" Winry said seeing him emerge.
"Oh yeah… I would love the help…" Ed said while starting to make a pot of coffee.
"That is if Roy has no objections." She added.
Roy shook his head… "None from me... but how long are you guys planning to stay in Central?"
"Well we were going to stay for a few days…" Winry replied.
"No!" Ed called from the kitchen… "You can't leave us alone… we'll screw up…"
"Have some confidence Ed," Roy chided.
"We don't know how to take care of a baby!" Ed objected.
"That's why we'll stay and help you, then we'll go back home…" Al said.
Ed took a sip of coffee. "But then I'll be home alone… I can't do it… I'll go stir crazy…"
"You won't be alone… you'll have Milo… besides isn't Roy on Paternity leave for 5 weeks? So you don't have anything to worry about."
Ed grumbled with uncertainty. Roy cooed at Milo and placed kisses on his forehead and cheek. His little arms moved reflexively hitting his father's chin. Roy offered his thumb which Milo began to suck on… "We've got a hungry baby…" Roy called to Ed in the kitchen.
"Okaaaay." Ed called back. He clambered around in the kitchen before leaning over the edge of the couch holding the bottle out to Roy. He took a towel off his shoulder and slung it over the side of the couch. Roy leaned his head back to meet Ed's gaze.
"Thank you" Roy said sweetly.
"You're welcome…" Ed grumbled in reply. Blushing, Edward leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips. It lasted only a brief moment before Ed pulled away.
"What's gotten into you?" Roy asked with a playful smirk.
"The romance of a baby," Winry gushed jokingly.
"Oh shut up…" Ed mumbled before returning to the kitchen.
Roy chuckled shaking his head. He held the bottle for Milo. The baby's arms waved about wildly before latching onto his daddy's thumb and the side of the bottle. At first he stared up at his dad, watchful. Milo's round golden orbs focused intently on his father's dark eyes. Slowly, his eyelids lowered, getting heavier and heavier before Milo was completely asleep, but still drinking greedily.
Roy grabbed the towel and placed it over his shoulder before very gently lifting Milo's head and repositioning it on his shoulder. Milo breathed evenly and Roy gently patted him on the back.
"You're a natural…" Winry said, "Are you sure you don't have other kids that you're hiding?"
"Umm no." Roy joked.
"You better be sure! Tch. knocking me up with your baby when you already got some…" Ed grumbled at the thought.
"Oh please sweetie, you're the only one I want having my babies." Roy cooed to Ed.
"Singular, baby not babies…" Ed corrected sternly
"We'll see," Roy murmured under his breath.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Yay! We finally meet the baby. I'm excited to get to write Milo (My-loh, not Me-loh) more as he gets older and is able to actually do things... It's gonna be adorable, not to mention I have something planned... nothing dramatic... well sort of but, it's nothing bad... Anyways I love you all and I thank you for your support. I'll see you next chapter!