Sorry this chapter took so long, oh my god. I got writers block and it lasted a few days, and it was a bad one, let me tell you. I want you all to know though, the way I write, I have the chapter open in word all the time, so I never close the program. When I'm at my laptop, normally I'll write a few paragraphs, or sections at a time, so normally I can bust out chapters in a timely manner, but this one took longer than expected. Anyways hope you all enjoy, sorry for any mistakes (I just finished the chapter and it's 12:20 AM), I'll go back through and edit mistakes when I have time… anyways a lot happens in this chapter, so hopefully you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA
Chapter 11
Seven months. As Ed's due date approached he grew more anxious and eager. Milo was nine months old now, and he kept Ed on his feet, which was a welcome distraction. He would often hold himself up by grabbing on to the furniture for balance. He'd skillfully maneuver around the house that way, but he couldn't walk on his own. Teething had also been a big issue. Milo was fussy as of late, of course the medicine from Oliver was especially helpful in that manner. It took care of the pain and swelling, so Roy and Ed made a point to mix in a little with his food every day.
Ed rubbed his belly affectionately while sitting on the floor watching Milo. He stumbled clumsily before falling to his butt and then shifting onto his knees. "Milo…" Ed cooed sweetly. The dark haired little boy looked up at the sound of his name. A grin spread across his face when he saw Ed smiling at him. He started to crawl towards his doting mother who outstretched his arms, ready to wrap them around his son.
The baby squealed excitedly as he got closer to his mommy. Once he was in reach Ed grabbed underneath his arms and pulled him close into a hug. He ticked his son making him giggle. Ed smiled and glanced at the clock on the wall, it was nearly eleven at night and Roy still wasn't home.
"I should not have let you have a late nap Milo." The curly headed baby just stared at his mother affectionately. "And Daddy's not even back yet… Where could he be out so late?" He asked Milo who giggled, bemused. "He's not working… I doubt it…" Ed shook his head tutting, he stood up with Milo in his arms. They headed towards the nursery, where Ed tried for the third time that night to read Milo his stories and rock him to sleep.
The front door slammed. Ed shot up, Milo still wrapped in his arms. The baby boy squealed eagerly bouncing in Ed's arms, knowing that sound signified his father coming home.
Ed stood in the doorway of the nursery and watched in silence as Roy dropped a single key on the table and shoved his car keys in his pocket, his back was turned to Ed and Milo, unaware his beloved's lingering eyes. He took off his jacket and hung it up, when he turned around he found himself face to face with his small blonde and very pregnant husband, his eyes went wide with surprise, "You're up?!" He said breathlessly. "Both of you…" He added, his tone falling flat seeing Milo up way past his bedtime.
Ed placed their son in Roy's arms and picked the key up off the small table, "What's this for?"
"Huh?" Roy asked glancing at Ed, "Oh… that's the key to… my office."
"Give it up." Ed said putting the key down. He rested his hands on his lower back with a grimace, He ached with tiredness, "You're lying through your teeth."
Roy sighed with defeat, "Can you wait until tomorrow? I'll show you tomorrow… alright?"
Ed squinted quizzically at his husband, Roy only smiled back, showing no signs of fear or nervousness whatsoever. "Ugh. Fine!" Ed said in dismay. "Try to get him down, he's been up all night."
"I can see that…" Roy said looking at Milo who smiled and rested his head on his father's shoulder.
"I need to go to bed…" Ed said yawning and rubbing his neck.
Roy curled an arm around his hip and pulled him close, "I'll be along shortly," he said planting kiss on his lips.
"Mmhm," Ed replied, pushing away and turning towards the bedroom. A wave of relief washed over him, finally he could lay down and rest. He changed into the comfiest clothes he could find that still fit and then laid down in bed, exhausted from chasing Milo around all day. His body was sore and stiff, everything made him want to vomit. He settled into the pillows, leaning back comfortably before he passed out completely.
Half an hour later, Roy finally managed to put Milo to sleep. He walked into his bedroom, seeing Ed snoring softly. He chuckled quietly and shook his head to himself. After changing out of his uniform, and putting it away, he laid down next to Ed and wrapped his arms around him protectively, his hand gently stroked Ed's swollen tummy. He kissed his sleeping husband's temple and nuzzled his head into his neck before he too fell asleep.
Roy was shaken awake when he felt Ed get out of bed. He heard Milo screaming loudly from the nursery. He sat up tiredly, yawning. When he finally managed to open his eyes he saw Ed standing in the doorway, holding a now content Milo on his hip.
"So, show me what that key goes to…" Ed demanded playfully.
"I just woke up…" Roy complained. Ed gave him a look, one of his eyebrows was cocked questioningly, as if saying 'do you really wanna do this?'
Roy sighed, rubbing his face he knew he wasn't getting out of this one. "Get in the car," he said with a sigh.
Ed smiled and went to the kitchen, where he quickly got Milo a baggie of cheerios that he could eat during the drive.
The three of them remained in their pajamas. Ed smiled at his son as he buckled him into his car seat. He tucked a blanket over his torso and legs, keeping his arms free so he could eat. Ed got in the passenger seat next to Roy who was already buckled and ready to go.
"You have the key?" Roy asked starting the car.
"Yeah," Ed replied holding the key up as proof.
Roy put the car in gear and started the drive to a destination unknown to the rest of his family. They drove for a while, Ed watched as Central began to thin out around them, the buildings got smaller and eventually they were in the country.
Milo babbled happily in the backseat, looking out the window, munching on his cereal.
"Is this still Central?" Ed asked staring at the surroundings, baffled.
"Mmhmm, it's the outskirts of town, a bit of a drive… but it's nice and quiet out here."
Ed nodded in agreement, "It's beautiful." The landscape was covered in snow. It was late December—almost January after all. He continued to stare out the window captivated by the powdery white lining the road and trees.
The car started to slow and Roy pulled into the driveway of an older looking house.
"Uhh…What?" Ed asked stupidly.
Roy yawned, "You said you wanted to see where the key goes…" He gestured towards the house, "This is where it goes."
"Hmm, I suppose this is where you've been meeting your mistress?" Ed teased. Roy only gave him a flat look, "I was only joking… I know you'd never cheat on me…" Ed said with a smile. He rested his hand on his swollen belly, "You love me too much! Besides, if you did that I'd be so angry our kids wouldn't have a dad! If you know what I mean…" Ed said cheerily.
Roy had to admit, this pregnancy, Ed scared him. He could give such scary threats, and pretend as if he were joking, but it was eerily obvious he was being somewhat serious. As if he willingly let thoughts from his subconscious creep into his conversations. Roy sighed tiredly, "I need coffee…"
"Oh boo-hoo! I've gone without for seven months…"
Roy stared at his husband, silent for a minute, trying to process his thoughts. "Well, aren't you gonna go see?" Roy opened the door and climbed out of the car. The cold air hit him like a sack of bricks. He went around the other side to get Milo out. He unbuckled him and kept the blanket wrapped around his son. It was freezing, must've been like twenty degrees out. He closed the car door, "Ed be careful… it's slippery."
Ed held out his arms slightly, his knees bent as he slowly and awkwardly maneuvered across the ice, "Yeah… I figured that out…"
Roy walked slowly with Milo up the steps that led to the front door. It rough around the edged but still nice. It was two stories, there was a small stairs and porch leading to the front door, Ed slipped the key into the doorknob and turned, pushing the door open. He stepped inside, Roy and Milo followed him in.
"What do you think?" Roy asked watching Ed as he looked around. There was an open living room. Empty bookshelves lined the walls, the kitchen was off to the left. It had decent counter space and old looking cupboards. The stairs to the second floor were rickety but still in good condition, four doors lined the balcony upstairs, each one was closed.
"You… bought a house?"
Roy was silent for a moment in fear, "Are you angry?" He asked quietly.
Ed stood still, staring at the house, "Angry? Why would I be angry?!" He turned to Roy, wrapping his arms around Roy's neck and stretched himself upwards to give him a kiss. "I love it, it's got so much character."
Roy placed his hand on the small of Ed's back, "I've been fixing it up… that's why I've been coming home late… I wanted to get it all ready for us to move in so you didn't have to stress…It was going to be a surprise. I was going to do everything so you could rest easy and we could have plenty of room for our growing family…"
Ed peered into the kitchen, "Can we move in now?"
"Not yet… There's still a bit more work to do… I was going to start transmuting furniture in here pretty soon…"
"I can help with that!" Ed said cheerily, "The faster we move in the better…" He said, "These two are gonna be here sooner than we think…" Ed was absently rubbing his belly, while looking at his husband and son.
Milo's eyes darted around the house, he babbled baby gibberish contently.
"What do you think Milo? Do you like it?" Roy asked, his son stared at him, continuing to babble, but now mixing in some excited hoots.
"It's sort of a long drive to work though…" Ed remarked.
"No… it's not as long a commute as you'd think, there's no traffic so we could get there pretty quickly if need be."
Ed started up the stairs, Roy following behind him, "How long have you been working on it?"
"Just a few months."
"A few months?" Ed asked, surprised. "I could've helped you!"
"I know… but I don't want you to strain yourself, I read that over exertion can lead to heart problems for the baby… or in this case, babies."
"Yeah from all those stupid books you read… I wish you hadn't! It turned you into a worrying mess…"
"And I wasn't already?"
"Those books made you a thousand times worse…"
Ed opened the first door. The room was decorated slightly, new carpet was on the floor, and the walls were painted blue and white. "This is Milo's room…" Roy stated, "I did this one first…"
Ed moved to the next door, old wallpaper was peeling and drooping off the walls, "This is supposed to be the new nursery… and then eventually the girls' room."
"Don't paint it quite yet… it could be boys, or a boy and a girl…"
"I'm sure it'll be girls, but if you want me to put it off, I will…"
"Doubting yourself?" Ed teased.
"Of course not… those are my babies in there, I'm sure they're going to be girls…"
Ed scoffed and then opened the next door, the walls were white and it had the same new carpet as the other two rooms. "And this is?"
"Another room… for our next baby…"
"Yeah, but they're not gonna enter this world for a while…"
"That's what you said about this pregnancy…" Roy said, a smirk on his face.
"This time, I mean it." Ed said almost with a snarl. He stood in front of the next door and turned the knob, pushing it open gently, "This is our room?" Ed asked looking around. The walls were a pale teal color. The same carpet covered the floor. A large window sat at the far end of the room, a door leading to the bathroom was to the right of the window, and a closet to the left.
He closed the door quietly, "You did all this work?"
"Well… yeah." Roy replied casually, adjusting his hold on Milo.
"It's wonderful… the house looks great…"
"It's not ready yet…" Roy said, knowing exactly where Ed was taking this.
Ed whined, "But I want to move in now!"
Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, "This is why I was keeping it secret."
"I'll help! We can start moving in…"
"Ed I already told you I don't want-"
"Want me to strain myself, I know… It's just transmutation… I won't tire myself out, I'll be fine…we'll be fine." He said correcting himself.
Roy looked unconvinced, he sighed and placed his hand on Ed's stomach, rubbing gently, "Alright, fine… we'll move in next week."
Ed smiled happy to have his way, he leaned up close and kissed Roy on the cheek, "Thank you! This will be fun!"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Milo played on the floor, sorting shaped colored blocks into a small wooden box. That was one of his new favorite toys. Ed was seated on the new couch, which was very comfy. Roy had been pulling books from boxes and placing them in the cherry wood bookshelves.
Ed looked at the last few boxes stacked neatly in the living room. With a tired sigh he stood up and opened one. He pulled out a few picture frames. One was of Milo and Trisha. Her long golden hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a navy sundress with white polka dots. Her round hazel eyes shone brightly and atop her head was a crown woven from daisies. She was holding Milo's hand and smiling at her baby cousin. Milo on the other hand, was sitting up straight, staring wide eyed at whoever was taking the picture (Most likely one of the children's doting mothers). His golden orbs glowed with curiosity. His dark curls stuck out in every direction. He wore khaki shorts and a white dress shirt, a navy and white polka dot bow tie was neatly fastened around his neck.
Ed smiled placing the picture on the mantelpiece. He grabbed another of Roy, Milo, and himself dancing at the wedding. Each of them had huge smiles on their faces. There were a few others, some of Milo with Winry and Al, and some of him with Louis and Oliver.
He stared at a particular photo of Roy, Louis, and Oliver they were all smiling, laughing. They stood next to each other, all in military uniforms. Oliver had an arm wrapped around each of their necks. It was obviously an older picture. Must've been before Ishval. Ed stared at it a few seconds longer, and then slid it onto the mantle.
"I remember that…" Roy said, appearing suddenly behind Ed.
He nearly jumped out of his skin, "God dammit! How many times, do I have to tell you to stop doing that?!"
"Sorry…" Roy replied casually. He curled his arms around Ed's midsection. He stroked his swollen tummy affectionately. "So I've been thinking…"
"Oh no…" Ed replied, teasingly.
"It's just… I've been thinking about baby names…"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah… and I thought we should name the girls after people close to us…"
"You don't know if they're gonna be girls or not…"
"Regardless… I was thinking we could name them Oliver and Louisa…."
Ed was silent in thought, He placed another photo on the mantle. It was of him and Al a few years ago, after they had both restored their bodies. "I quite like those names… we could call them Ollie and Lulu…"
Roy smiled and nodded, resting his chin on Ed's shoulder, "I thought it was a good way to honor Oliver and Louis… Since they're some of the closest friends we have… and they pretty much saved my life."
"And mine…" Ed replied, "If I had to raise Milo all by myself…" He shook his head and sighed with exasperation, "I don't think I could manage it…"
They were silent for a long while, Roy latched onto Ed, while he was staring at the photos, reminiscing.
"What if they're boys?" Ed asked finally breaking the silence. They both looked at their son playing on the floor.
"They won't be."
Ed sighed, "I think you should at least consider the possibility…"
"If they're boys we name them accordingly… But they won't be boys."
"It genuinely frustrates me that you're so sure…"
"Well… you're the one pregnant with them don't you have an idea of what they'll be?"
He was silent, "Y'know what, if you're so sure, why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"
Roy cocked an eyebrow, "You wanna wager?" He chuckled.
"Mmhmm," Ed replied. He fell silent, trying to conjure up a bet in his head. "How about, if you're wrong, and we don't have twin girls, you have to wear a condom every time we have sex for the next two years!"
"Fine!" Roy replied with a smirk, "If I'm right, what do I get?"
"If you're right…" Ed trailed off, "If you're right, you get…hmm."
"How about if I win, I get you for a whole day… all to myself…"
"What about the kids?"
"We'll have Hughes babysit… or something…"
"Fine!" Ed said definitively.
"Kiss on it?" Roy asked leaning in.
Ed shoved him away and stuck out his hand to shake instead. Roy shook, then tugged Ed, so he was curled into him once again.
Roy leaned down and kissed his neck gently, sucking on the soft skin. Ed's head lolled to one side, "Stop it…" he groaned with pleasure, "Milo's right there and it's only two o'clock… He's just woken up from his nap…"
"You smell so sweet." Roy said.
Ed felt his stomach in a knot. He keeled over suddenly, pulling out of Roy's arms. His hand flew to his mouth and rushed for the bathroom. Roy cringed when he heard Ed throwing up. The toilet flushed, then the sink ran. Ed emerged, his face white. His left hand rested on his stomach.
"You alright?"
"Yeah… just… when you said I smelled sweet… I started to get overwhelmed by a sweet aroma… and I just… I couldn't stomach it…"
Ed laid down on the couch, spreading out. He laid his arm across his forehead, covering his eyes. Milo babbled away from his spot on the floor. He continued to sort blocks of varying shape and color. Then he would dump them out again and start over.
"Go ahead and rest, I'll hang out with Milo…" Roy pulled the quilt that had been folded over the back of the couch onto Ed. He stood up, scooping Milo into his arms.
"Does daddy get a smooch?" Roy asked playfully.
Milo squealed and kicked his legs excitedly. He placed his left hand on his father's cheek to steady himself, then leaned in and placed a big sloppy kiss on his daddy's lips.
"Oh! Thank you Milo! I love kisses from my baby!" He tickled Milo, making him squirm and laugh.
"Let's go play upstairs so Mommy can rest…"
"Mmmmama!" Milo squealed.
"Mhm" Roy replied absently, "mama… that's- Oh my god… Ed!"
"Mmma maaaa" Milo repeated.
Ed sat up now, "Did... He just say 'mama'?"
"Twice…" Roy answered excitedly. He sat down where Ed's legs had been. He held Milo on his lap so he was facing them.
"Mma..mama." Milo giggled happily. He reached an arm towards Ed.
Ed took him in his arms, "Yes! Milo, that's right… mama…"
Roy motioned towards himself, "Can you say Daaadddaaa?"
Milo stared at his father, a quizzical look on his face, "mammaah!"
"Is this normal?" Ed asked, "I thought… babies didn't say their first words until around a year old…"
Roy nodded, "Say daa-daa." Milo only giggled and smiled at his father, "No… you're right, it's not normal for babies to have their first word so early."
"It's 'because I'm a prodigy… now he's going to be a prodigy too!" Ed said with a smirk. Roy would've rolled his eyes but he was way too distracted and excited about Milo speaking his first word.
"Daahdduh" Milo squealed, interrupting them.
"That's right Milo! Daadaa! I'm your daadaa…" Roy said excitedly… He pulled Milo into his lap.
"Y'know Roy, he knows you as daddy… you don't have to call yourself 'da-da'…"
"… psh. I know that…" Roy responded, "Can you say it again? Can you say daddy again?"
"Mammaa!" Milo said excitedly and clapped his hands together.
"So smart," Ed cooed. Milo started to blabber again in baby gibberish, "and talkative…"
"Yes, very talkative, aren't you Milo… soon enough you'll have your sisters to talk to!"
Ed rolled his eyes at Roy's comment. He was sure he was gonna win the bet, he had to, he'd wagered so high… one whole day with Roy…. It wasn't bad of course, spending the whole day with your husband wasn't really a punishment… but Ed knew exactly what it was he planned to do with that 24 hours and he was fearful he might lose all his common sense in the throes of passion.
"ma-mamama" Milo gurgled.
Ed was snapped out of his thoughts, "Milo." He said with a smile. He ran his fingers through Milo's jet black curls. "I wonder what they're going to look like…" Ed said, dreamily stroking his overly swollen belly, he was twice as big as the average pregnant woman.
"Blonde hair, golden eyes…" Roy cooed softly.
Ed chortled, "Yeah right… they're gonna look like you… just like how Milo is your spitting image…."
"No… he's got your eyes…"
"Yeah, but that's it…. He has your chin, your nose, your… everything else!"
Roy smiled and ruffled Milo's curls, his son's large glowing orbs now fixed on him. Milo trembled ever so slightly, and then began shivering… "Are you cold baby?"
"It is chilly in here… and it's snowing outside…" Ed replied… "Would you mind starting a fire…?"
Roy stood up, placing Milo down on the floor. He pulled a few logs off of the pile stacked neatly by the fireplace. He stuffed them inside the opening, then closed the grate. He stood up, walked upstairs to their bedroom. He started down the stairs, pulling the glove onto his hand.
He kneeled down next to the fireplace, "now watch this Milo…" he snapped his fingers. Flames sputtered to life, lapping at the wood hungrily.
Milo crawled to Roy's side and sat staring at the fire, completely fascinated. Roy sat watching too. Ed's gaze lingered on their backs. He observed cautiously from his spot on the couch. Milo leaned forward, reaching his hand out towards the fireplace.
"Roy! The baby!" Ed shouted, anxious.
Roy pulled Milo into his lap. He ran his fingers through his hair, they sat still in front of the fireplace, watching the flames dance. Ed settled back into the couch with a sigh, lying on his back. He blinked, his eyes still glued to his husband and son. Each time his eyelids got heavier until they closed completely.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Everything was spinning. The house rotated around Ed, yet he stood in the middle, unmoving. Suddenly it all went still. "Ed?" He heard Roy call frantically. "Ed!?" This time he sounded scared. Roy emerged from the shadows, "You're alright." His eyes flashed over Ed's body and his expression grew more and more confused with each passing second. "What happened to the babies?"
Ed looked down, his stomach was flat, completely flat. "Roy- I"
"You did this?! I knew you weren't strong enough!"
"R-Roy…" Ed muttered through sobs
"This is all your fault, they could have lived, had I knocked up someone stronger, smarter, and… someone better looking wouldn't have hurt either…"
Ed was in hysterics now. Crying and sniffling to himself. "I'm so sorry! I t-told you I wasn't-t s-strong enough!"
Roy glared at Ed before turning away, Milo suddenly appeared beside him. Holding hands they walked away
"Wait! Don't leave me! Don't take my baby!" Ed screamed at their shrinking figures. They kept walking, ignoring him. There was a faint ringing, it got steadily louder and clearer.
Ed sat bolt upright, his body ached, a headache resonated throughout his brain, tears were streaming down his face. Only a dream, he had to keep reminding himself. The phone rang, shaking wildly on the hook. Roy, who must've been in another room entered the kitchen.
"Mustang residence" he said. He turned to face the living room, when he saw Ed his eyes went wide with concern, his face was pale and he was sweating. He looked sickly. "Oliver! Of course, his checkup? Oh he's… better… still getting those symptoms pretty bad… Yeah we still have some… I can do that…"
Ed tried to push himself up off the couch, but his legs ached with pain from all the extra weight. Roy's eyes were still locked on him as Ed began to wipe away the tears he had shed in his sleep.
"Uh-huh. Okay we'll see you then, bye…" He hung up the phone and rushed to Ed's side, "What's going on?"
"I can't do this…" Ed said taking shallow breaths.
"What do you mean?"
As Ed stared at Roy he could only remember his dream and the harsh words Roy had said, "I'm not… not…" tears pooled in his eyes, he sniffled. "Roy I'm not strong enough..."
Roy stayed silent, kneeling beside the couch, holding Ed's hand and stroking the back of it gently with his thumb.
"I don't want you to hate me…" Ed said dropping his head into his hands.
"Wha-? I wouldn't have married you if I hated you, or ever though myself capable of hating you..." He looked at Ed's belly, which he was now rubbing absently. "Edward… I could never hate you… whatever gave you that idea?"
Ed shook his head squeezing Roy's hand tightly as more tears dripped down his face, "I-I think something's going to go w-wrong…"
"What do you mean… something's going to go wrong?"
"With the… the p-pregnancy… there's going to be complications…. I'm gonna lose them Roy, I'm…. I'm not strong enough for t-two… it shouldn't even be possible for one…"
"Don't ever say that!" Roy said sternly, he placed his hand on Ed's shoulder. His fingers curled around his neck and he pressed their foreheads together, "I know it's scary… I know how scared you are… believe me, I'm scared too… terrified actually. But you have to have more confidence in yourself, I've got faith in you, and you should too. You're seven months along already… we're almost there…"
Ed nodded, his eyes low. "You would never leave me… if something unspeakable happened…?"
"Of course not, and you don't have to worry, because nothing bad is going to happen… I'm gonna be right here, right here to keep you safe."
Ed let out a laugh that was was husky with relief… if anything it almost sounded like a sigh. He wrapped his arms around Roy's neck and pulled him close into a hug. He rested his head on Roy's chest. "I had a terrible nightmare…" he choked up a bit
Roy tugged on the tie holding Ed's hair together and gently ran his fingers through Ed's hair. "It's alright… put it out of your mind…"
Ed took a deep shaky breath. Still clutching to Roy. He felt better now, even if only a little bit
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Okay, so we see Ed is really freaking out, but don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen, I'm not that cruel (Plus I couldn't bring myself to do something awful to their cute little family). Roy must be really anxious as well, seeing Ed so scared. Tell me what you think of the name ideas, (don't be too harsh, it's really hard coming up with names…) anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for your support and keep on reading! See you next chapter (which will hopefully be out sooner!) Okay I'm going to sleep now, for like a whole day… g'night, love you all, (and please review!)